August 19, 2019
Contact:
Brad Tanner, Community Outreach & Media Affairs
410-313-6039
Columbia, MD- The Howard County Department of Fire and Rescue Services (HCDFRS) held a dedication ceremony for the new Merriweather Fire Station, Fire Station 14, on Monday, August 19, 2019. The ceremony was immediately followed by station tours.
“Our public safety needs have grown over the decades. Working together, we acted with a sense of urgency to build and open a new Merriweather Fire Station that will improve our emergency response time and save lives,” said Howard County Executive Calvin Ball. “I want to thank Chief Uhlhorn, the Howard Hughes Corporation, and every single member of our Fire and Rescue team for supporting this project and our community. Our new fire station will support our first responders, as they continue to keep us all safe.”
Construction of the new fire station, located at 6025 Symphony Woods Road, began in March 2019. The new 6,800 square foot building is a full-service fire station, providing fire suppression and emergency medical services. The facility is a single-story structure located at the bottom of a parking garage. It houses two apparatus bays, kitchen and dining room, general use rooms, a room to be utilized as a unified command center for large scale special events happening in the Town Center/Merriweather area, and administrative offices. The project architect is Fox Architects of Washington D.C. The station was constructed as part of a public/private partnership with the Howard Hughes Corporation.
“It took a lot of moving parts to make sure this project happened in a timely fashion, and we are thrilled that this day has finally arrived,” said Fire Chief Christine Uhlhorn. “We want to thank the Howard Hughes Corporation for their partnership and assistance with the development of this new fire station. We are looking forward to the positive impact the Merriweather station will have on the Columbia community and Howard County as a whole.”
The new station will assist with the growing number of residents and employees in the downtown Columbia area, allowing for even faster response times. Staffing will consist of a combination of six career personnel across three shifts. The current apparatus for Station 14 are: one fire engine and one paramedic unit.
For additional information, please call the Office of Community Outreach and Media Affairs: 410-313-6039.