Bryan County will begin construction on a new Fire Station 1 in the south end on Friday, Feb. 8 with a special groundbreaking ceremony. The event, set for 10 a.m., will take place in front of the County Administrative Complex at SR144 and Capt. Matthew Freeman Drive. The public is invited to attend, and light refreshments will be served.

Fire Station 1 will serve as the headquarters station for Bryan County Emergency Services and will consist of four extended bays, office space, and living quarters. Currently, the county has 10 fire stations and their services include the operation of six ambulances staffed with emergency medical service personnel.

The new facility will replace the current, aging station near the roundabout at Highway 144 and Capt. Matthew Freeman Drive. Site engineering will run parallel with building construction in order to expedite the project's timeline. Construction is expected to be complete in November 2019.

Bryan County Emergency Services Chief Freddy Howell is looking forward to the completion of Station 1.

“The new facility will really be an asset to the community, especially nearby neighborhoods, which have been growing quite a bit.  This will let our crews more efficiently serve the homes in this area and will likely mean an improvement in some home and business owners’ ISO insurance risk rating,” Howell said.

The new station will be covered with funds generated by Bryan County’s Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax, which is a financing method for capital outlay projects in the state of Georgia. It funds schools, parks, roads, parks and county necessities, such as fire trucks.