Biloxi Fire Department cuts ribbon on new Station 7 and state-of-the-art training facility

BILOXI, Miss. (WLOX) - Biloxi’s Fire Department cut the ribbon on its brand new station and cutting-edge training facility, Saturday. Biloxi Station Number 7 is officially up and running in a state of the art building.

“I woke up this morning and I said you know what, Biloxi is not only better, it is safer today," said Biloxi Ward 6 Councilman Kenny Glavan.

The $4.1 million station sits near the intersection of Popp’s Ferry Road and Cedar Lake Road with 13,000-square-feet of space. It is a major upgrade from the trailer used by Station 7 for nearly two decades.

Biloxi Chief Joe Boney said, “The biggest gratification I get is to see the firemen’s faces when they come in and see this facility and know they’re going to be able to work here.”

Jared Bolton is one of the eight firefighters who will work out of the new facility. “It’s big enough to house our special teams operations. We’re going to run our swift water rescue, our hazmat rescue out of here,” said Bolton.

The city marked the occasion with a big event to highlight the work of those who pushed for the station to be built. Chief Boney recalled a meeting with Biloxi Mayor Fofo Gilich.

“I met him here the day after he was elected out on this property and I explained to him what it would mean for us to have a facility here," he said. “That day he made the commitment to get this done and he’s followed up on that promise.”

Councilman Glavan sad the three-story training tower is the perfect addition to keep Biloxi’s firefighters in tiptop shape. He said, “When we actually have a disaster or emergency, everybody knows that our firefighters are the best, they’re going to respond, they’re going to do the utmost to protect our entire city.”

“Couldn’t be happier," said Bolton. "It’s been a long time coming.”

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