SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – After more than 20 years of discussions and planning, Saratoga Springs Fire Department’s Station 3 officially opened Tuesday.
“The opening of this station is an incredible milestone, not only for our department but for the citizens and visitors of our great city of Saratoga Springs,” Acting Chief Aaron Dyer said at the ribbon cutting. “It better provides coverage to all the residents in the City of Saratoga Springs.” Station 3 is at 16 Henning Rd.
, less than a mile from Interstate 87 and down the road from the Saratoga Race Track (the New York Racing Association donated the land). With its placement and round-the-clock availability, Dyer said they will cut response times to four or five minutes rather than nine or ten. The $8.
7 million project has been in talks since the 1990s, but despite the “need and desire,” it wasn’t until 2019 that the project got underway, he said Tuesday. The building houses one fire engine and one ambulance that will be fully staffed year-round, as well as the city’s reserve ladder truck and Saratoga County’s hazmat response support unit. The station will have six firefighters working every day, Dyer said.
They are still under full staff – maximum staff would be around 115 and they currently have 84 – but are in the process of up staffing. They’ve hired 20 people in the last two years in preparation for the station opening, he said. “This station is designed to help handle the future growth and n.