(ATLANTA, Ga.) — Fire Station #7 at 1712 Columbia Drive has been under construction since February 2021, over two years. It’s now wrapping up construction on the brand-new, state of the art facility. The current Station #7 was originally built in 1945, and has been deteriorating for years.

“We can use it as a training facility. We can actually do ropework inside the tower,” DeKalb County Fire Chief Darnell Fullum tells WSB’s Veronica Waters. The building is constructed on a site which included a tall parapet, perfect for training firefighters on ropes, poles, and ladder climbing.

Also included are modernized gearwashing stations, along with two showers. “We wanna make sure the bad stuff firefighters come in contact with at fires stays at the fire.”

A community center that residents will be able to use for small events. Plus, Chief Fullum added, “it’s the second station we have that actually has poles that firefighters can slide down.”

A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held on Monday morning, celebrating a grand opening.

WSB’s Veronica Waters contributed to reporting for this story.

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