The newly constructed fire station in Southport.

The official open house for Southport’s new fire station will be Oct. 9, 2010, Fire Chief Greg Cumbee said.

The station on North Howe Street at Fodale Avenue replaces the current station built in the 1950s.

The 20,802-square-foot, $3.3 million building was designed at the suggestion of the fire marshal’s office to help the town maintain its ISO rating of 4. Fire departments are rated on a scale of 1 to 10, with lower scores denoting better service and paying off in lower insurance rates.

The project will be funded with fire fee money property owners pay Brunswick County as well as money from the town, though the town will determine how much it funds after the project is done, Cumbee said.

The station features bays with room for eight firetrucks and room to store turnout gear and other equipment. Some of the town’s trucks have been parked at the city garage, and gear is stored at different locations.

The building is also made to withstand hurricane-force winds and has its own generator. The emergency operations room has Internet access, more than a dozen phone lines and TV monitors.

Other aspects of the building were designed to assist with EOC operations or to provide firefighters with training facilities. A required fire escape was designed to double as a training tower.

Date posted: August 23, 2010

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Julie Canny