Goodyear Fire Station 186, a 12,587-square-foot facility designed to ensure firefighters’ long-term health, is now in service.

Construction on the station on Willis Road just east of Rainbow Valley Road in Estrella Mountain Ranch, began less than a year ago and was completed in December.

READ: 75 years of progress: Major city projects under way in Goodyear

“This fire station is a reflection of the Goodyear City Council’s goals to make public safety a top priority for them,” Goodyear Fire Chief Paul Luizzi said. “This station will provide fire and EMS coverage to an area of current and future growth.”

In December 2019, the council approved funding for the $9 million station as well for Station 181, a $10 million, 15,855-square-foot facility on 143rd Avenue between Van Buren Street and Celebrate Life Way scheduled for completion this spring.

Both stations place a heavy emphasis on firefighters’ health and improving response times for the community.

READ: Goodyear honors fallen Fire Engineer Austin Peck in inaugural ceremony

Features of the new fire stations include:

• A decontamination corridor that will allow firefighters to decontaminate their turnout gear as soon as possible upon returning to the station;

• A vestibule that separates the “clean” (living) side of the station from the “dirty” (business) side; and

• A personnel decontamination corridor that will allow firefighters to rid their bodies from contaminants as soon as possible.

The new procedures are based on best practices used throughout the country and from the input of Goodyear firefighters.

They are a complement to the department’s new clean cab fire truck system requiring firefighters to store their gear in separate compartments within fire trucks to limit exposure to contaminants.

Editor’s note: Shane Dale is a digital journalist with the city of Goodyear.