ANDALUSIA, Ill. — The Andalusia Fire Protection District has broken ground on its new fire station.
Earlier this year, voters approved a property tax increase to fund the $2 million fire station. Local fire officials said the new facility is necessary because the department has outgrown their current 50-year-old station. The new station will have sleeping quarters if firefighters need to stay overnight and will have room for all of its vehicles.
"It's good to know that the community is choosing to support us because Andalusia Volunteer Fire Department is 100% volunteer. None of us are paid," Andalusia Fire Chief Justin Hicks said. "We do this out of the goodness of our heart for our community, and so it's really nice to see that they recognize that and they want to support us."
Fire officials expect construction on the new facility to take approximately one year to complete.