Henrietta’s new state-of-the-art Fire Station 6 cuts response times in half

HENRIETTA, N.Y. – Project firehouse came to life in Henrietta. Station 6 is up and running. The new station is on 60 Erie Station Road, serving the southwest part of town, which is a neighborhood on the rise.

Henrietta now has seven fire stations. Chief Mark Cholach says, it was originally covered by Station 4, which had about a 12 minute response time on a good traffic day. He says that was too long. They’ve already seen improvement with times now cut in half.

“We’ve already had at least half a dozen fires, where, had this company not been staffed, there is a good chance there would have been a loss of life or complete destruction,” Cholach said.

The new facility has a drive-thru apparatus bay and on-site living quarters, so fire crews can get to an emergency quicker than ever.

“The old firehouse, personnel were living in an auditorium, all sharing one bathroom, and one shower, so it was pretty primitive, so now they have a state-of-the-art facility,” Cholach added.

After taking five years to complete, the firehouse held a ribbon cutting on Saturday. The new facility had the opportunity to shine as attendees toured it.

“Despite COVID, worker shortages, supply chain issues, the project finally got done.”

Cholach says seeing the immediate improvement proves the new station’s worth, especially when it comes to saving lives.

“It lets me sleep better at night, knowing the people here are taken care of, and that they are taking care of those who live here.”

The chief told us the project was completed under budget. He says they’ve been working on staffing since last year. The new house will have 16 people on duty at all times.