Construction of New Fire Station 3 Moves Along on North End

Construction of the new Fire Station 3 is moving along on the north end of the Old Mission Peninsula. As with the new Peninsula Community Library last year, once construction began on the fire station a few weeks ago, the building has rapidly taken shape.

Located at 19270 Center Road, between Swaney Road and Tompkins Road, the new fire station will include housing for Peninsula Fire Department’s staff, and will also house the department’s wildfire truck, upgraded to a Medical First Response truck.

Fire Chief Fred Gilstorff says the new fire station will not only improve response times in that area, but will also help to improve the fire department’s ISO ratings, giving residents in that area better insurance premiums. (Read more about ISO ratings here.)

“The fire department is very excited about the progress of Station 3, and we look forward to moving in and bettering our service to the residents in the north part of the township,” Gilstorff says.

He anticipates that they’ll be able to move equipment into the new building in mid-January.

At a special meeting in July, The Peninsula Township Board voted unanimously to approve Grand Traverse Construction as the contractor for Fire Station 3 (they were also the contractor for the new library).

Since Gilstorff was hired as fire chief in December 2017, he and his team have worked to better the fire department and improve their ISO ratings on a number of fronts, including upgrading the fire trucks and equipment, certifying the department for Advanced Life Support (ALS), improving response times on calls, hiring more staff, ensuring that Fire Stations #1 and #2 are staffed 24/7, placing automatic external defibrillators (AEDs) in multiple public places throughout the township, and increasing fire education to township residents.

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