Surprise to open 7th firehouse soon

Surprise's seventh firehouse is in the final stages of construction and aims to start operating in early September, fire officials said this week.

Assistant Fire Chief Kevin Pool said the Fire Department hopes to have a grand opening in October. The station, at 161st Avenue and Cactus Road, will serve south Surprise, east of Loop 303.

Here's a look at the new fire station.

By the numbers

$3.5 million:

Construction cost.

11/19/2007:

Groundbreaking ceremony.

10 months:

Time fire officials estimated it would take to build. The project is on schedule.

10,000:

Square footage.

3:

Number of station bays.

11:

Number of additional fire stations the city will need by 2020, according to a 20-year strategic plan.

$66 million-

$80 million:

Estimated cost for those 11 additional stations.

2:

Number of new fire stations opened in the span of two months in 2007. (Station 306 in Sun City Grand, and Station 305 at Parkview Place and Greenway Road.)

Fire Station 307 in Surprise is slated to open in September.