The Pueblo West Fire Department is growing to keep up with demands as the community expands.
In the past four years, 17 people have been added to the ranks, thanks in part due to a one percent sales tax that voters passed in 2020.
They've also used the money to purchase fire trucks including a $1.4 million ladder truck and a brush truck. Two other rigs are in production.
“We got enough people up at Station 3 to man two or three trucks. So that helps big time. Having those extra people up there at Station 3 it really helps because we have them available to take the squad unit or ladder truck,” Deputy Chief JJ King told KOAA.
King said this is helping with response times. With the sales tax revenue, the fire department built Station 2 on the southwest side of town.
"Response times improved greatly once we opened up Station 2, especially for that Southwest Region. I mean, it went from a 15-minute response down to a four or five."
A top priority next next year will be to renovate Station 1, which is nearly 30 years old. The current cramped bunkrooms will be replaced with more spacious ones with windows.
