The Southwest Area Response Station has become necessary due to the current station located several miles within the City limits; this increases response times to the area southwest of the City of Harrisonburg. Emergency service response times are greater than ten minutes for travel time alone, and in many cases, longer due to increased traffic coming in and out of the City. This project has become a vital need in Rockingham County as Bridgewater Rescue Squad has required greater assistance to provide coverage. Their agency has been unable to respond to calls due to a limited number of members and a decrease in their members' availability to answer calls for service. Currently, the next due ambulance is placed on the calls that Bridgewater Rescue cannot respond to, placing an additional burden on agencies such as Clover Hill Volunteer Fire Company which has recently received additional staffing to assist with answering calls within their coverage area. Additionally, the current station is shared with Harrisonburg Fire Department and is currently listed in their CIP for replacement in the next two years. The plan for the replacement station is an overall smaller footprint and will have less space for current County staff and apparatus. This project is in included in the City's or County's FY 2023-2027 Capital Improvement Plan (CIP). As of February 27, 2023, further details regarding design and construction have not been identified. *Project information has been obtained through a public capital improvement plan (CIP). A CIP is a financial schedule for short- and long-range projects which is updated regularly. Information listed in the CIP often evolves based on funding availability and the project details, including timeline and value, are subject to change. The content management team will continue to pursue additional details as they become available.
.webp)
