TYLER, Texas — With discussions of building a new fire station in Smith county underway, Smith County Emergency Services District 2 wants to make sure they serve residents as best as they can.
"One of the things that we’ve noticed is that with the population growing in both the areas of Bullard and chapel hill and the amount of calls that are coming in, we really need to prioritize those areas in comparison to what we are seeing in the Jamestown community," Nikki Simmons, ESD2 spokesperson, said.
Data shows that in the past year, the number of calls were much greater in fast growing communities like Chapel Hill and Bullard, meaning that their need for more firefighters might be greater.
"The Jamestown area is a little bit more rural, especially when we compare it to Bullard or Chapel Hill, not as many homes going up there, not as many people moving in there," Simmons said.
However, it’s something ESD2 has already been thinking about and taking steps toward.
"We have invested in the Jamestown area. We actually have a piece picked out for a future station, an area ready for that to go," Simmons said.
But whether the decision is made to build a new station now or to wait, ESD2 wants residents to know that regardless of how rural the area, they will continue to provide service when needed.
"We work with both Mineola and Van to make sure that as we are serving the Jamestown community, we have some back up in place and are working with those teams to make sure they have coverage," Simmons said