ROANOKE, Va. – Botetourt County is expanding its Read Mountain Fire Station and adding a new 911 center.
A groundbreaking ceremony is scheduled for Thursday at 10 a.m.
The expansion, which will cost the county $11.7 million, will take place on Eastpark Drive and transform the existing facility into a two-story structure that includes sleeping quarters for firefighters and a new 911 center.
Botetourt County currently handles about 30,000 emergency calls annually. The new facility will increase capacity and improve response times for various emergencies.
“Our county continues to grow and evolve, and really these are just some necessary things that we need to do to catch up with our services and capabilities,” said Botetourt County’s Chief of Fire and EMS Jason Ferguson.
A key feature of the expansion is the relocation of the county’s 911 center from its current location in Fincastle. The new center will double dispatch capacity from four to eight dispatchers, which is crucial during major emergencies, such as storms or large events.
“Dispatchers play a vital role in our public safety. We are the very first contact, and when dispatchers are in a good environment to handle those stressful calls, that filters out to everyone, not only the citizens, but the law enforcement that we serve, the fire and rescue units that we serve,” said Nicole Manspile, who is the communications supervisor at the Botetourt County Sheriff’s Office 911 Center.
The facility will also house a dedicated radio shop for vehicle maintenance and emergency equipment installation. Additionally, the county is implementing a comprehensive radio system upgrade to improve coverage in hard-to-reach areas such as Arcadia and the Appalachian Trail.
“For fire, it’s going to shave seconds off of their ability to respond, and also it will create more interoperability, being able to speak to other agencies from the sheriff’s office and also better coordination, things of that nature, for the first responders,” said Emergency Communications Systems Manager Matthew Hinckle for Botetourt County.
The current 911 center in Fincastle will be maintained as a backup facility in case of outages or equipment issues. The entire expansion project is expected to be completed next year.