Albuquerque Fire Rescue has opened its first new fire station in more than two decades and added new equipment and personnel to better serve the city’s growing West Side.
The department recently put into service two new Pierce Enforcer fire engines and created a fifth battalion with additional command staff to oversee the expanded coverage area.
Fire Station 23, located at the Southwest Safety Center at 9631 Amole Mesa SW, is the first station added since Station 20 opened in 2002. The new station covers nearly 5 square miles in Southwest Albuquerque and will help reduce response times in the area.
“As Albuquerque’s West Side continues to grow with more families, schools and business, we know there is a major need for investments in firefighters, equipment and facilities,” Mayor Tim Keller said in a press release. “When it comes to response times, minutes matter.”
The new Station 23 houses Engine 23, which is staffed with one EMT-Paramedic and three EMT-Basics and provides advanced life support capabilities.
A second new engine, Engine 22, will replace an 11-year-old truck with more than 150,000 miles at Station 22, located at 10005 Lyons NW. That station covers nearly 30 square miles, including the far Northwest Mesa, Double Eagle II Airport and neighborhoods such as Ventana Ranch and Paradise Hills.
The expansion required AFR to create Battalion 5, the first new battalion added since the late 1990s. Previously, only one battalion chief supervised operations west of the Rio Grande.
“Adding Battalion 5 is critical for our ability to strengthen firefighter safety and improve operational effectiveness,” Fire Chief Emily Jaramillo said in a press release. “This is not just about managing resources on an incident; this is also about protecting our firefighters and ensuring our residents get the highest level of service possible.”
Battalion chiefs serve as operational command officers who supervise emergency and non-emergency activities and have overall authority for their districts. They play key roles in incident management and firefighter safety during high-risk emergency calls.
The creation of the fifth battalion allows AFR to realign coverage districts and improve command presence in other parts of Albuquerque, including the foothills, Northeast Albuquerque and the Four Hills area.
AFR now operates 23 fire stations across five battalions citywide.