Goodyear officially opens Station 186 in Estrella Mountain Ranch

We’re celebrating both the growth of Goodyear and of Estrella, and our partnership that we have with the city and that we respect and enjoy so much. Goodyear and the West Valley have come of age.”

Bill Olson, senior vice president, Newland Communities

Goodyear Fire Station 186
18430 W. Willis Road
Goodyear, AZ 85338
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By Kelly O’Sullivan
Twitter: @AzNewsmedia

The in-person audience at the virtual ribbon-cutting for Goodyear’s newest fire station March 3 may have been small and socially distanced, but it was loud and proud.

Fire Capt. Manny Cordova, who served as master of ceremonies, welcomed Mayor Georgia Lord and the City Council, city staff, Goodyear Fire Department personnel, project partners and those watching the Station 186 celebration stream live on Facebook and Instagram.

“We would just like to celebrate the incredible investment that the city has made to the fire department and to our members, just a beautiful station and beautiful facility we have here,” he said, setting off the first of many cheers and rounds of applause.

Construction on the $6.8 million, 12,587-square-foot station 18430 W. Willis Road in Estrella Mountain Ranch was completed in December, and fire crews began working from the facility in February.

Station 186 is one of three new stations designed to protect firefighters’ long-term health and to improve first responders’ response times that will come online in the next two years.

Station 181, a $7.9 million, 15,855-square-foot facility on 143rd Avenue between Van Buren Street and Celebrate Life Way, is scheduled for dedication in April.

“It’s so important to us as a city and to the community to make these kind of investments for our city because you can’t stop this growth. Every month there’s something new. These new fire stations will improve your response time in our community,” Mayor Georgia Lord said, complimenting Fire Chief Paul Luizzi and everyone who worked on the project.

“You’ve done a great job. I’m really happy to have the first design like this. It’s pretty special. It’s something you can brag about, and it’s something that I think our citizens need to come and visit and see the advancement in fire,” she said. “Of course, emphasis is what? It’s on your health. We know what you’ve been through. We have felt your pain.”

Mayor Lord was referring to firefighter illnesses resulting from exposure to toxins at fire and hazardous materials scenes, including that of Goodyear Fire Engineer Austin Peck. The 11-year department veteran was just 35 when he lost a years-long battle with service-related cancer in 2019.

Every year, Engineer Peck’s colleagues run the Marine Corps Marathon in his honor, and in February 2020, his parents accepted the department’s inaugural Firefighter of the Year award on his behalf.

READ: Goodyear honors firefighters in inaugural ceremony

“Like so many projects, the city of Goodyear is leading the way with this new fire station design. As the mayor mentioned, this fire station was designed with a strong emphasis on firefighter long-term health,” Deputy City Manager Dan Cotterman said.

“One of the innovative ways that we achieve this is with the decontamination corridor that allows firefighters to decontaminate their turnout gear as soon as they return from a fire call. It also separates the clean residence side of the station from the dirty business side, which reduces firefighter exposure to dangerous, cancer-causing contaminants that they’re exposed to while fighting fires,” he said. “Instead of one door into the station, you’ll see a two-door system with a space to help trap contaminants to keep that clean side as safe and healthy as possible for employees.”

The station’s exterior also was designed to complement Estrella’s aesthetics, he said.

“One of the unique features of the exterior is artwork created by artist Joe Tyler, which is a roadrunner named ‘Ready,’” Mr. Cotterman said. “It represents the desert wildlife and quick response of Goodyear firefighters. The Goodyear Arts & Culture Commission did a great job in ensuring that this piece complements the design of the station and the community.”

Bill Olson, senior vice president of Newland Communities, also extended his compliments.

“We’re celebrating both the growth of Goodyear and of Estrella, and our partnership that we have with the city and that we respect and enjoy so much,” he said, calling the station beautiful and a symbol of the city’s growth.

“Goodyear and the West Valley have come of age. We are going to continue to see enormous growth,” he said, citing a Maricopa Association of Governments study that forecast that 48% of the metro Phoenix growth over the next 20 years will be in the West Valley.

In 2020, Newland sold 645 homes in Estrella, its best year to date, he said.

“We couldn’t have done that without the support of the mayor, the City Council, the staff and of course, the fire-life safety and police department teams,” Mr. Olson said. “From Newland to the city of Goodyear and its leadership, thank you very much and we appreciate your partnership.”

Chief Luizzi said Stations 186 and 181 are both in new-growth areas of the city, adding they symbolize the council’s commitment to ensure that residents have the best public safety services available while protecting firefighters.

“This is not a new priority for them. This is one that they’ve had for many, many years, so I want to thank the City Council and the city manager’s office for their continued support in ensuring that we bring these projects to completion,” he said.

The chief also thanked the fire department’s many partners, from the communities the station will serve to those who designed, managed and built the facility, for their contributions.

“The fire department is part of the community. We will be good neighbors in this neighborhood. When it’s safe, we do intend to open our home to our neighbors for a tour. It’s a very exciting time to be in the city of Goodyear,” he said.

“Every square inch of this facility has been considered, not just to be a fire station, but really to be the next generation to serve our public servants who are in here fighting the battles for our public day in and day out,” said Todd Steffen, president of Core Construction, which co-hosted the ribbon-cutting.

“This isn’t just your run of the mill fire station. The integration and considerations that are made design-wise to consider the whole health of our first responders is really innovative,” he said. “I’m so proud as a construction contractor to have that sort of privilege to build a facility like this.”

After the speeches, Chief Luizzi and Mayor Lord, flanked by council members and others, used a pair of huge scissors to cut a red ribbon stretched across the engine bay.

To take a virtual tour of the station, watch the city of Goodyear video below.

Kelly O’Sullivan can be reached at kosullivan@newszap.com or 760-963-1697.