Occoquan District Supervisor Kenny Boddye joined fellow Board members in cutting the ribbon on the new, 21,500-square-foot Coles District Fire and Rescue Station 6. It replaces the original Coles District Volunteer Fire Department, formed in 1949, when only about 22,000 people lived in Prince William County, Virginia. The building was last upgraded in 1979. The county now has a population of approximately 465,000.
The new station houses an engine company, a tanker, a heavy rescue unit, a brush truck, a hazmat unit and a safety officer and the staff to keep the equipment in operation. The county’s hazmat resources will also move to the centrally-located new station in coming months, explained Fire and Rescue System Chief Tim Keen, to better serve all parts of the county.
“The Board of County Supervisors fully supports our fire and rescue, and all of our public safety officials in our system. We want to make sure that you have the equipment, the facilities, the people needed to serve our community that keeps on growing,” said BOCS Chair Ann Wheeler during the ceremony. “We have a fire and rescue system that works 24/7, 365 days a year to protect us, and I’m truly thankful for that. We have men and women who rush toward danger when most of us are the ones who are running away.”
“The men and women of Station 6 are the front line for residents experiencing a variety of crises: medical emergencies, fire, auto accidents. They serve not only the Coles District, but many of our neighbors throughout mid-county. Our first responders are always rushing into the unknown; more often than not towards danger. They have my deepest appreciation. It is fitting that they have a top-of-the-line station from which to operate,” said Supervisor Boddye.
“The men and women assigned here now have the appropriate living quarters that were needed while working a 24-hour shift at a station they can be proud of,” said Keen. “I’d like to thank the Board of County Supervisors and Mr. Martino for their continued support of fire and rescue, and I look forward to working with you as we strategically locate our future stations to provide the best service to the citizens of Prince William County.”