By Stephanie Richards
More than 350 people crowded into Provo''s new fire station Monday, Dec. 3 at 11 a.m. to celebrate the dedication of the new facility.
The new fire station is an additional base that will allow firefighters to respond more quickly to calls in the southeast area, said Scott Alvord, Provo Police fire chief.
'It will allow us to increase our respond to the BYU population and be closer to BYU''s campus,' Alvord said.
The new fire station will also be Provo''s support base for the Olympic Games at Seven Peaks, Alvord said.
During the Olympic Games, the fire station will house additional staff and equipment.
The fire station will begin operating in two weeks, after builders finish the work on the alerting systems, Alvord said.
The morning ceremony included the changing of colors, the national anthem sung by a quartet of firefighters, and five speeches by elementary students, Alvord said.
Samuel Ricci, 8, a third grader at Provost Elementary School, spoke at the ceremony. Ricci spoke about his desire to become a firefighter.
'These are the real heroes we look up to, and I want to become like them some day,' Ricci said. 'We are lucky to have a nice new station, but it is even nicer to have such wonderful men and women who risk their lives everyday to save the lives of others.'
Also, 81 Provost fifth graders added to the program by singing 'We Can be a Light.'
The fifth grade teachers at Provost were asked to participate in the program and jumped at the opportunity.
'We wanted to show our support back to the firemen,' said RoAnn Lemmon, a fifth grade teacher at Provost.
Following the ceremony, the fire station was open to the public until 8 p.m. for tours.
The new fire station is at 700 E. 300 South, and is 1,200 square feet. It includes a kitchen, dining room, exercise and TV room, offices, six individuals sleeping rooms, and two-and-a-half baths.
It will also be equipped with one of the city''s new quints -- a combination fire truck and fire engine with 105-foot ladder, two ambulances, and a small brush truck that will be used for small fires, Alvord said.