Columbia Fire Station 11

Columbia, Fire Station 11, located at 6909 Scott Boulevard in southwest Columbia, will relieve the emergency call load on some of the surrounding stations, which have seen an increase in call volume. The fire department has seen a more than 22% increase in calls during the past five years, according to Fire Chief Clayton Farr, Jr. The station will predominantly serve areas north, east, south, and southeast of its location, cutting fire service response times from around six to eight minutes to a target response time of four minutes.

With the city anticipated to grow to the west, Farr said the new station would provide service in that direction. The addition of the new station will maintain the department’s Insurance Services Office fire rating at a class 2 and might even improve it to a class 1. A lower rating would impact commercial insurance rates in the area and possibly residential insurance rates as well.

The building is planned to span about 10,000 square feet and includes three apparatus bays, training and exercise areas, work, sleep, and living areas, and a police substation. The department expects the new station, which broke ground on September 27th, 2022, to be placed into service in the fall of 2023.