Elkridge Breaks Ground on New Fire Station

Work on the new Elkridge Volunteer Fire Department began Monday with a groundbreaking ceremony on Montgomery Road at Bauman Drive.

The effort to build a new firehouse has been several years in the making for Elkridge, to accommodate modern-day equipment and an expanding population. Construction will begin in spring 2015, according to Howard County.

Built in 1942, the current firehouse on Old Washington Road cannot house equipment that meets current standards. Howard County Department of Fire and Rescue Services Chief William Goddard also told the community that the fire department hoped to improve its response time to the US Route 1 and MD Route 175 corridors, where calls for service have increased, with the move.

Volunteers at the firehouse responded to more than 4,600 incidents in 2013, Council Vice Chairwoman Courtney Watson said at the groundbreaking, calling the station “an active hub.”

The new firehouse is expected to be complete by summer 2016, according to Howard County government, which provided these specifications about it:

• 7.56-acre site
• LEED Silver building
• Two-story firehouse
• 33,757-square-foot building
• Six drive-through bays for apparatus
• Sleeping quarters for 23 people
• Fitness room, multipurpose room, evacuation area, kitchen and dining room

The fire department’s leadership invited the community to check it out, noting that the station will continue to be the community-centered firehouse that Elkridge residents know and love.

“This is not just for the members of the fire department,” Elkridge Volunteer Fire Department Chief Russell Pryor said at the groundbreaking. “This is also for the community. This is for you...”

Photo Credit. Howard County Department of Fire and Rescue Services. Pictured from left to right, Fire/EMS Chief William Goddard, Darryl Paunil (Department of Public Works), Local 2000 President Rich Ruehl, Elkridge Volunteer Fire Department Chief Russell Pryor, State Delegate James Malone, County Council Vice Chair Courtney Watson, Elkridge Volunteer Fire Department Auxiliary President Tami Scovitch, State Senator Edward Kasemeyer, State Delegate Guy Guzzone and Elkridge Volunteer Fire Department President Julie Casey.

Related:

• Elkridge Volunteer Fire Department May Have Found Its New Home
• Howard County Makes a Move on New Elkridge Fire Station
• County Receives State Funding to Relocate Elkridge Volunteer Fire Department