After nearly two years of construction, applying for grants, gathering equipment and a pandemic-delayed open house, members of the Ainsworth Fire Department have settled into their new station. 

Construction on the new facility began in late September of 2019, with demolition of the previous building in October of that same year. The new station officially began operation in February of 2020. Total cost for the new building was $460,000, of which $330,000 was funded by a Washington County Riverboat Foundation grant awarded in May of 2019. Fire Chief Waylon Schultz recently led KCII News on a tour of the new station, highlighting the upgrades from the previous station. New features include a full-size kitchen, shower, computer stations for the officers, workout and training area and a meeting room with a capacity of 50 people. 

Schultz explains how these improvements have impacted the department, “So it really did bring a lot of excitement to our department, getting the new building, being able to be out here comfortably working on stuff. People hang more after fires, talk more after fires or calls. So it really did bring a lot of comradery back to the department. Everybody uses stuff out here a lot more than we used to in the old building. The public is really excited about it, we had our open house and people really gave us good feedback about it. Our fundraisers have been great from the community that has helped us so overall it’s been awesome.”

Schultz added that a big upgrade to the building was the increase in space in the garage. Volunteers now have adequate space to get their gear on and maneuver around the trucks to work on and wash them indoors during the winter seasons. Schultz says the next new piece of equipment for the department will be a Polaris Ranger coming in March. You can hear more from Schultz during Thursday’s KCII Public Safety Special Edition News Magazine airing at 1 and 6 p.m. and available through the On Demand page.