The July issue of The New Falcon Herald mentioned that the Falcon Fire Protection Districtís newest fire station would be designated Station 4, although it is actually the districtís fifth station. Since its first station is now Station 3 and its third is Station 6, at a glance FFPDís fire station numbering system resembles the infamous Abbott and Costello ìWhoís on first?î routine. However, there is a rationale behind the way FFPD station numbers are assigned.The Falcon Volunteer Fire Department didnít have a fire station when it was formed in 1975. Operations were run out of a former mule barn. When the first station was built in 1980 at Highway 24 and Meridian Road, in the heart of the Falcon community, no numeric designator was necessary since it was the departmentís only fire station.As the fire department continued to grow, a second station, designated as Station 2, was built on Meridian Road just north of Murphy Road. Then a third fire station was added, this one located farther south on Jones Road, east of Curtis Road. Logically, it was called Station 3.In 2005, the fire districtís jurisdiction was subdivided into five response zones, also called districts, with boundaries determined by road miles and geography. This configuration was modified in 2010 to the current six zones/districts that are used to track response times, call volume and other operational data. This information is then used to determine future fire station locations, apparatus needs, staffing and more. Response zones/districts also factor in to mutual aid and automatic aid agreements by identifying areas where other fire departments might be on site as necessary.When the FFPD response zones/districts were created, the numbering of fire stations coincided with the districts the stations were located, rather than the order in which they were placed into service. As a result, the districtís first station became Station 3 because it is located in FFPD District 3. Likewise, the original Station 3 was renamed Station 6 because it is in District 6. Stations 1 and 2 are located in Districts 1 and 2, respectively, and FFPDís fifth station, in District 4, will be called Station 4 when it is completed in 2017. There currently is not a Station 5.To see a map that shows FFPDís response zones/districts,visit http://falconfirepd.org, click on ìAbout the Departmentî and then select ìDemographics.î
