New Fire Station Opens In Howard County

HOWARD COUNTY, MD — The second new fire station to open in Howard County in the last three years was dedicated this week.

The new Waterloo Fire Station, located at 7645 Port Capital Drive, will primarily serve the communities of Jessup, Elkridge and east Columbia. It brings the number of fire stations in the county to 14.

"The new Waterloo Fire Station is the result of historic investments during the last four years to maintain and grow our public safety infrastructure. Along with our stations in Elkridge and Savage, this station will reduce response times for our communities along the Route 1 Corridor and relieve strain on stations around the county. This project represents our bipartisan partnerships and collective efforts with Governor Hogan to deliver resources for our first responders and our community," Howard County Executive Calvin Ball said at the grand opening of the fire station.

The state charged Howard Country $1 for the land, which allowed the county to use $3.5 million in cost savings to fund flood mitigation projects in Ellicott City. Construction of the new fire station began in the summer of 2020. The 14,865-square-foot building is a full-service fire station, providing fire suppression and emergency medical services. The facility is a one-story structure and includes three pull-through, double-length apparatus bays, a physical fitness training room, a kitchen and dining room, sleeping quarters, general use rooms and administrative offices.

"This is a big step forward for our department. The opening of the Waterloo Station will address rising call volumes along the Route 1 corridor, ensuring that our department can continue to meet the community’s need for 911 services," said Louis Winston, chief of the Howard County Department of Fire and Rescue Services.

The station also includes a satellite office space and a breakroom for the Howard County Police Department. This dedicated space will give officers a location to complete reports, host meetings and engage with community members.

“We are fortunate in Howard County to have a robust public safety program,” said Major Justin Baker, deputy chief of field operations. “Our partnership between the police and fire departments is unparalleled. We collaborate every day, whether on calls for service, arson investigations or in joint training, and now we are pleased to have a police satellite office in this new fire station.”

As part of the Howard County Department of Fire and Rescue Services’ award-winning Carcinogen Reduction Program, the station is designed with intuitive zones to reduce the transmission of carcinogens between working and living spaces. Additionally, the station’s state-of-the-art design incorporates extensive energy efficient and environmentally friendly strategies and will be a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) gold-certified facility.

The station will be home to more than 20 career personnel across three shifts. The current apparatus for the station will include a fire engine, a paramedic ambulance and a battalion chief. The station, including site work, cost an estimated $10.4 million to construct.