Hattiesburg, Mississippi – On Thursday, January 28, Mayor Barker was joined by Hattiesburg Fire Department Batallion Chiefs Joe Anderson, Chris Carr & Stephen Mooney, Ward 1 Councilman Jeffrey George, City Engineer Lamar Rutland and Chief Administrative Officer Ann Jones for a construction update on Fire Station #9 with Shane Germany of Landry Lewis Germany Architects, P.A. and Stephen Bridges with HANCO Construction.
This project, a requirement from the State Fire Rating Bureau in 2011 to maintain the city’s Class 4 Fire Rating, is located along the North Hwy 49 corridor and will service the Northern Hattiesburg area.
“We are pleased with the construction progress of Station 9 and look forward to its opening later this spring,” said Mayor Toby Barker. “This station will improve response times, lower insurance rates along Highway 49 and strengthen our city’s fire protection capacity.”
Construction began mid-May 2020, and it is approximately 80% complete. The estimated move-in date is late April or early May – dependent on weather. This approximately 10,000 square-foot station will accommodate two fire trucks (ladder and pumper), a battalion chief truck and will sleep eight with room for growth and expansion if needed. It will also include a substation for the Hattiesburg Police Department.
Benefits for a new station servicing Northern Hattiesburg include:
- Better insurance rates for businesses.
- Decrease response times to under 5 minutes (currently, it averages between 6-12 minutes).
In 2011, the City of Hattiesburg received notice from the State Fire Rating Bureau that it maintained its Class 4 fire rating, but it was given several requirements and changes that needed to occur in order to maintain that status. One of those requirements included the construction of a ninth fire station to service the north Highway 49 area. In late summer of 2020, the department received notification that it had moved from a Class 4 to a Class 3.
The construction of this ninth fire station was cited as reasoning and will provide for better insurance rates for both residents and businesses.
For reference regarding this project, the following stories were reported in both May and July of 2020:
- Hattiesburg Breaks Ground on Ninth Fire Station
- Hattiesburg Fire Department Secures Class Three Rating
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