Deahna Visscher remembers what she calls the longest 13 minutes of her life last winter in the TrailMark neighborhood.
While walking with a friend, her friend’s dog got loose and wandered out on the ice near the neighborhood park and fell through the ice. Visscher and her friend called for help, and it took responders 13 minutes to get there. The dog was rescued and survived, but Visscher wonders what would have happened if it was a child who had fallen through the ice.
But Visscher doesn’t have to worry about that scary scenario any longer. The Littleton Fire Rescue is a just a few weeks away from opening a new $2.6 million firehouse in the TrailMark neighborhood, an enclave of Littleton separated from the rest of the city immediately to the west of Chatfield State Park.
“We’re very thankful that they are building this because our response times will be much better,” she said.
The new facility will serve TrailMark, the Fairview Meadowbrook development and Lockheed Martin, which is switching from its own fire service to Littleton Fire. The 7,800 square-foot firehouse is scheduled to open Aug. 1 with a ribbon cutting ceremony Aug. 13.
In the past, TrailMark had been served by the West Metro Fire District, which has a station at South Kipling Parkway and West Chatfield Avenue. Littleton’s closest firehouses are at C-470 and Santa Fe Drive and Pierce Street and Coal Mine Avenue.
“This firehouse was crucial for this subdivision, Lockheed Martin and Fairview Meadowbrook,”said Wayne Zygowicz, division chief for the Littleton Fire Rescue. “These people are going to have wonderful response times from the fire department to get there and take care of their needs.”
This is the first new Littleton fire station in 20 years, and it will be staffed with three firefighters at a time. It will include an office for a Littleton police officer and could also serve as a location for a community meeting.
“Itap also a benefit to have that sort of community building,” Littleton City Councilman Debbie Brinkman said.
The decision and funding for the building came together somewhat quickly when an agreement was reached with Lockheed Martin for Littleton Fire to service Lockheed’s facility near Waterton Canyon. Littleton firefighters have already been training on-site at Lockheed, according to Zygowicz.
The agreement expedited the approval process, and the money the department will receive from Lockheed made the project more cost-feasible.
“This is a great opportunity. The agreement is a win-win for both Lockheed Martin and the Littleton Fire Department. The new firehouse enables the Littleton Fire Department to provide coverage to a larger population at an offset cost while Lockheed Martin benefits from improved fire, hazmat and medical capabilities,” Lockheed Martin Space Systems security director Derrick Wehner said in an email.
Brinkman is happy to get the new firehouse and sees it expanding in the future.
“Over time as you see the population grow, we’re going to recognize that this is a very forward-thinking move,” she said.
Visscher said most of the community is in strong support of the new firehouse, and she’s personally glad to feel just a little safer in her neighborhood.
“The city of Littleton has done a lot of different things to try to address the issue in the past,” she said. “I think now they have the best solution.”