Ribbon cutting ceremony, open house scheduled for Joplin's newest fire station

(From the City of Joplin)

Joplin Mayor Doug Lawson and City Council Members will join City leadership, Joplin firefighters and the Joplin Area Chamber of Commerce Ambassadors in a Ribbon Cutting Ceremony and Open House at Fire Station 7 on Wednesday, January 31. 

Located at 6720 East 30th Street, the event at Joplin’s newest fire station will begin at 2 p.m. All are welcome to attend this event.

Before the ribbon-cutting ceremony, there will also be a graduation ceremony for nine recent Joplin Fire Department trainees. At 1:15 p.m., Fire Chief Ezell, Deputy Chief Andy Nimmo, Training Chief Dustin Lunow, and Interim Training Chief John Miles will present the candidates with their Fire Training Certificates. In addition to receiving their certifications, each graduate will take the Oath of Office and receive their badge pinning by a family member. They will begin their firefighting service on Wednesday, February 1, at Station 7.

Fire Station 7 is a 7,900-square-foot facility with a safe room for the on-duty crew. It has six bedrooms, an exercise room, and a decontamination room. The facility will have three double-depth drive-thru bays. Twelve firefighters will be assigned to Station #7 and work 24-hour shifts as a crew of four. This brings the total number of Fire Department personnel to 106.

Fire Chief Gerald Ezell noted that in addition to general firefighting practices, Station 7 is strategically located near industries and major traffic corridors, including Interstate 44.

“This station will provide confined space and hazardous materials response for the City of Joplin and will greatly enhance the response capabilities of the Joplin Fire Department in the Joplin Crossroads Industrial Park.”

The Joplin Fire Department currently provides emergency services to the community’s 45 square miles from the six fire stations. As a component of the Public Safety needs analysis in 2006 and the recent resource study completed for the department, adding a station on the City’s southeast borders will benefit existing residents, businesses, and future development.

“The southeast portion of Joplin has unique needs in addition to the residential and industrial coverage we provide,” said Ezell. “This station’s location will serve as a strong resource for the industrial and HazMat needs that the metro area experiences in our service area.”

The architect for the project was Paragon Architecture, LLC, and R.E. Smith Construction Company was the contractor with the facility’s construction cost of $4.5 million. This project and the staffing for Station 7 are funded by the Public Safety Tax initiative approved by voters in the November 2006 election. The Use Tax passed by voters in 2021 provided funding for three additional captains for the Fire Department.