‘Welcome to our house’: Community celebrates new fire station in Little Valley

ST. GEORGE — “Welcome to our house,” St. George Fire Chief Robert Stoker told those gathered to celebrate the official opening of the city’s newest fire station in the Little Valley area.

At the ribbon cutting/open house for St. George Fire Station 9 on Commerce Road in the Little Valley area of St. George, Utah, July 22 | Photo by Mori Kessler. St. George News

Late Friday morning civic officials, first responders and area residents visited the new facility – Fire Station 9 at 2225 Commerce Drive in St. George. Firefighters served hot dogs to attendees and their families next to two classic firetrucks parked in the station’s large bay while the fire department’s newest fire engine sat in front of the building. All the while children were given plastic firefighter hats and played on the old firetrucks.

For Stoker, the new fire station carries personal significance as it was the last his father Leslie Stoker had a hand in designing before his death in 2019. Prior to Station 9, he also helped design the fire station in Bloomington, along with the ones on Dixie Drive, Dixie Downs Drive, River Road and in the SunRiver community.

“He didn’t get to see this station completed, so this does mean a lot to me personally to have to these stations, to have had him involved in those,” Stoker told St. George News.

When mentioning his father’s work as he spoke to those gathered to celebrate the new station, Stoker said the station was the result of the work set up by those who had gone before and recited a Greek proverb to that effect.

At the ribbon cutting/open house for St. George Fire Station 9 on Commerce Road in the Little Valley area of St. George, Utah, July 22 | Photo by Mori Kessler. St. George News

“Society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they will never sit in,” he said. “Remember those who came before us and laid the groundwork, not only for our department, but citywide.”

Station 9 has been in the works since 2016, but due to Commerce Drive not being completed at the time, along with other factors, it wasn’t unable to be built and finished until now.

“This has been a long time coming,” St. George Mayor Michele Randall said. “We’re really excited to have this station up and functioning.”

The location on Commerce Drive, which sits between the Little Valley area and the industrial park on the southern portion of River Road, is a great one due to its quick access to both areas, the mayor added.

At the ribbon cutting/open house for St. George Fire Station 9 on Commerce Road in the Little Valley area of St. George, Utah, July 22 | Photo by Mori Kessler. St. George News

Before the new station was built, emergency calls requiring the fire department’s response would be answered from the SunRiver or River Road stations. Firefighters staffing Station 9 have already responded to multiple calls since the station started operations on July 6.

“It relieves pressure on those other stations in town,” Stoker said.

Building a new fire station in this part of Little Valley was considered necessary by city officials due to the increasing growth that part of the city was experiencing. Now that it’s operational, it also brings the added benefit of potentially lowering insurance costs for nearby homeowners as having a fire station in the neighborhood can reduce those costs.

Though the fire station serves the obvious function as a local base of operations for firefighters, Stoker said it is also much like a house for firefighters as they work, exercise, eat and sleep there in between emergency calls during long shifts. It’s little wonder fire stations are also called firehouses, he said.

At the ribbon cutting/open house for St. George Fire Station 9 on Commerce Road in the Little Valley area of St. George, Utah, July 22 | Photo by Mori Kessler. St. George News

“This is our firehouse,” Stoker told the crowd. “Welcome to our house.”

A traditional ribbon cutting for the new fire station followed, yet no traditional ribbon or giant pair of scissors was used for this event. Instead, a fire hose was stretched in front of city officials while Stoker held up a piece of hydraulic rescue equipment that sliced through the hose.

This was followed by an old firefighter tradition that was also a first for the St. George Fire Department – pushing the new fire engine into Station 9’s bay. Stoker said the tradition dates back the 1800s when firefighters had to push the horse-drawn, wagon-mounted water pumps they used back into their bays.

Anyone was free to participate in the push-in and many participated. Their efforts ultimately were assisted by a firefighter who put the large vehicle into reverse.

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