Officials broke ground Friday on Fire Station 1 at the Bryan County Administrative Complex. When complete, the SPLOST-funded $2.1 million station will be the headquarters for Bryan County Fire and Emergency Services. Station 9 on Ellabell will be renovated as well. 

Fire Station 1 will consist of four extended bays, office space, and living quarters. Currently, the county has 10 fire stations and their services include the operation of six ambulances staffed with emergency medical service personnel. 

The new facility will replace the current, aging station near the roundabout at Highway 144 and Capt. Matthew Freeman Drive. Site engineering will run parallel with building construction in order to expedite the project's timeline. Construction is expected to be complete in November 2019.

Bryan County Emergency Services Chief Freddy Howell is looking forward to the completion of Station 1.

“The new facility will really be an asset to the community, especially nearby neighborhoods, which have been growing quite a bit.  This will let our crews more efficiently serve the homes in this area and will likely mean an improvement in some home and business owners’ ISO insurance risk rating,” Howell said.