By Lindsay Doty
With a shiny new pole, fresh brick and plenty of room for fire engines to get in and out, the new Plainfield Fire Territory Station 121 at 1080 Edwards Drive is ready for action.
Station 121 has relocated from the former Clarks Creek Road station that opened back in 1975.
The new facility is modern and designed to better serve the area’s growing population.
“We are very grateful to the Town of Plainfield and the leadership and the citizens for making this possible,” Plainfield Fire Territory Chief Joel Thacker said.
The move is part of a bigger Plainfield development plan that has been in the works for several years.
“It’s exciting to move into a new facility. The location is one of the busiest areas in the county,” Thacker said.
Station 121 provides better access to State Road 267 to get fire engines and emergency vehicles in and out efficiently. It also has four parking bays to hold the pumper, fire truck, ambulance and boats, instead of only two spots at the old location.
The new station also has a fitness facility, an upgraded kitchen, a training room and bunks on the second floor for overnight shifts.
On average, there will be nine to 10 firefighters at the firehouse.
The department is enthusiastic about the changes. Dozens of well wishes came pouring into social media about the move. Longtime firefighters who spent years at the former station reminisced about the early days.
“The two hardest things to do are open and close a fire station. To show the need to the community to open one and then saying goodbye to the history and memories of the old facility. A few of our firefighters have 20-plus years at the old facility,” explained Thacker. “We are very excited about the new facility but it’s bittersweet for many.”
The former station at Clarks Creek Road will be used by the Plainfield Police for storage.
As part of the fire department overhaul, Plainfield Fire Territory also relocated its fire headquarters to 591 Moon Road last year.