TULSA, Okla. — Tulsa Mayor G. T. Bynum officially opened Tulsa Fire Department’s newest firehouse alongside Tulsa Fire Chief Michael baker on September 17.
[ City of Tulsa hosts unveiling ceremony for new fire station ]
Fire Station 33 should help reduce call loads at the busiest fire station in the entire state, Station 27, which handles an average of 15 calls a day, which translates out to more than 100 a week.
Crews from Station 27 ran on more than 6,000 calls last year.
Tulsa Fire Department (TFD) said the new station will cut that by at least 30%, reducing response times and saving lives.
Tulsa Fire Chief Michael Baker said, “We need to get there quickly, and we need to begin life-saving interventions, and this is really an opportunity to save lives.”
Station 33 is the result of a 20-16 vote to give more funding to Tulsa Fire and Police Departments for improvements.
Tulsa Mayor G. T. Bynum said, “The taxpayers here in Tulsa, any time they’ve been asked to give the men and women of the Tulsa Fire Department the tools they need to their job the right way, have said yes.”
Mayor Bynum said the new fire station addresses the rapid growth of East Tulsa.
“Our fire department looked at where the heaviest calls were and where the increase in calls were coming from and identified that east Tulsa is the fastest growing part of our city,” said Mayor Bynum.
Fire station 33 features a new weight room, modernized beds with reading lights, individual restrooms and showers, separate locker rooms for men and women, open air hangers so bunker gear can air out, a modern kitchen complete with professional appliances and a special washing machine that washes smoke-caused carcinogens from clothes.
Chief Baker said faster response times also help the department maintain their Insurance Service Organization rating of 1, one of the best in the nation.