Campaign-Rock Island Volunteer Fire Department is in the process of building its third fire station.
It will be located on Sparta Highway just before you get to the flashing light at Highway 30.
The 1,600-square-foot building will have two bays and house two firetrucks. The building isn’t expected to be operational until early 2012, according to Fire Chief Benny Cannon.
“This is going to cut our response times way down, especially to the Collinwood area,” said Cannon. “Where it takes us 15 to 20 minutes to get to Collinwood now, it will only take us five or six minutes when the new station is ready. This will put us within the five-mile rule for everybody in this area except for the few who live on the county line.”
Cannon says Campaign-Rock Island volunteers are responsible for covering 69.5 square miles. The department currently has one station in Campaign and another in Midway near the community center. With two outlying stations, it takes longer to respond to fires closer to town.
Cannon says the ground has been cleared and the next step will be to accept bids for constructing the building. He says the project is being paid for by subscription fees and a recent fundraising effort.
“We’ve had a $25 annual subscription fee for years and we’ll be able to keep that at $25 again next year,” said Cannon. “We’re doing this to better serve our subscribers. It’s not my fire department. It belongs to everybody who lives in that area and pays their dues.”
Cannon says the fire department is 27 members strong.