The residents of Kalaoa and surrounding areas mauka of Kailua-Kona can breathe a little easier now that a new fire station has been opened in their area.
A ceremony was held Monday for the opening of the county’s newest fire station.
The $7 million Makalei Fire Station is located just south of the 32-mile marker on Highway 190, also known as the Mamalahoa Highway, less than a mile north of its intersection with Kaiminani Drive.
The 11,000-square-foot facility includes three vehicle bays, an office, a kitchen and training room, a dormitory and exercise and work rooms.
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The station will feature a pumper, ladder truck and a hazardous materials unit.
This modified Google Maps image shows the relative locations of the new Makalei Fire Station and the station in Kailua-Kona.
Federal stimulus monies provided about $4 million of the funding.
County officials said the new station will offer quicker response times and lower homeowner insurance rates for the heavily populated area of Kalaoa in North Kona. Prior to its construction, residents of that area had to wait about 15 minutes for a response from the next closest station in Kailua-Kona located seven miles to the south.
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