Firefighters are getting ready for the Panasonic EV battery plant in De Soto in more ways than one.
The roughly 20,000-square-foot fire station under construction -- about a mile away from the battery facility in Johnson County -- is expected to open by the end of the year.
“That’s a larger footprint that’s going to accommodate a larger fire truck. That’s an aerial fire truck platform that’s going to be able to reach building heights of 100 feet,” Northwest Consolidated Fire District Chief Todd Maxton told Fox 4.
Firefighters are training to be ready for manufacturing and production emergencies in general and lithium-ion challenges specifically.
“We have access to one of the country’s subject matter experts on lithium-ion batteries. We can bounce things off of that group."
Maxton said crews are looking forward to the new station and the training opportunities.
“We still have to answer all of the 911 calls. And if someone calls with an emergency, we still have to be there, whether it’s citizen or a property owner or a new mega warehouse.”
The new station replaces the an existing facility that’s about 80 years old. It's slated to open a few months after Panasonic is expected to start producing electric vehicle batteries.
Maxton says his existing staff and equipment will be able to cover it until then.
