New Catoosa Public Safety Complex Aims To Reduce Emergency Response Times

First responders in Catoosa are celebrating the opening of a brand-new public safety complex.

The project represents a huge upgrade for police and fire and will bring them together in new facilities at the same location.

Both the fire and police chief here in Catoosa say one of the best things about the new Hamby Lynch public safety complex is its central location, which they expect will cut down on response times.

The new safety complex sits right on the corner of Pine and 193rd, right in the middle of town.

"It's basically in the geographic center of Catoosa, so I believe our response times are going to improve quite a bit," says Catoosa Police Chief Ronnie Benight.

He says this new facility is a big upgrade from the old police and fire stations.

“Everything is state of the art the best that we could have for what's out there right now," says Benight.

The more than $20 million project was funded by a GO bond and is the new home to a brand new police and fire station designed for a growing city.

"It has grown and changed a bunch," says life-long resident Jimmy Rimer.

Rimer owns Barn 66 in Catoosa and says the new complex will only help his town.

"It's definitely going to be needed for the future for sure in the next year next 12 months I would say, it's going to be a positive addition to our community,” says Rimer.

The complex replaces out-of-date facilities. Fire Chief Denus Benton says the new station will let them store fire trucks and firefighters under one roof.

"This is set up to where I mean these guys can come out of the bunk room at night and boom they're right in the bay where the truck is and they can get out the door," says Benton.

It also has a space for crews to clean off bunker gear after a call, getting rid of possible cancer-causing chemicals left behind on gear.

"They go right to the decon room and they can strip all that stuff off, we got a special washing machine that we didn't have before, we got a special drying machine to dry that bunker gear,” Benton says.

The complex will also house a new dispatch center for Catoosa, something the town hasn't had in several years.