Planned East Rock fire station construction delayed

ROCKINGHAM — A planned fire station on Homeplace Road to provide support to the East Rockingham Fire Department’s main station remains on hiatus.

The primary reason for the creation of this fire station is to cut the insurance rates for individuals in the community and shorten emergency response times.

The planning phase has been going on for about two years, according to East Rockingham Fire Chief Bill Bayless. The rise in the cost of metal and lumber has been a cause of the delay. Bayless said they’re just waiting for the prices to fall, and that there has never been a timeline for completion. There also isn’t an estimate of the total cost for the project.

The ERFD has been setting money aside for this project for years, and has also been working with the County on securing funding. ERFD Board President Darrell Allen echoed Bayless’s assessment of the delays, saying that contractors have been unable to guarantee a steady price on metal, which has led to uncertainty for the project.

“We’d like to get it built as soon as we can,” Bayless said.

Allen said that there will be fire trucks at the new station along with their crew of volunteers. He called the new station an “annex” of their primary building, and would be more convenient for the fire fighters.

“We’ve got guys that live pretty close to that station compared to the main station,” Allen said.

“It would drastically increase the response time in the area that its going to serve,” confirmed Bob Smith, Director of Emergency Services for Richmond County.

Smith said the exact time that would be saved wouldn’t be known until the facility was operational.

“We just can’t pinpoint exactly when [the building will be completed],” Allen said. “I’d love to be able to start now.”