New Charlotte Fire station will help keep up with growth, officials say

CHARLOTTE — Charlotte Fire has a simple but crucial goal, which is to respond to a fire within six minutes of a 911 call.

“For Hidden Valley, that is a big concern because we deal with a lot of seniors and children,” said Charlene Henderson, a Hidden Valley resident and community advocate.

That is why city leaders recently broke ground on a piece of land along North Tryon Street, which is for an infill station to meet gaps between stations that were established decades ago.

As early as 2019, the Charlotte Fire chief identified the community as one where response times were ticking in the wrong direction.

“When it comes down to a lot of apartments and townhomes that are coming up around Hidden Valley, yes, it’s congested,” Henderson said. “Yes, it’s going to be a lot of response times that are needed to be cut down on.”

This groundbreaking got the green light after the Charlotte City Council recently approved its fiscal year 2024 budget, which included $79.5 million to expand the city’s fire infrastructure.

That funding will support the construction of five firehouses and adds more fire trucks to the infill station.

Henderson said Hidden Valley advocates have been pushing for better amenities and services for the growing community.

She is happy public safety is growing right along with it.

“We can talk about gentrification,” Henderson said. “We can talk about remapping. We can talk about redistricting. The growth is here. We can’t stop it, but what we can do is come together, collaborate, partner up and make sure that our voices are being amplified.”

VIDEO: Charlotte Fire planning second station in north Charlotte to help lower response times

Charlotte Fire planning second station in north Charlotte to help lower response times

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