The demolition and excavation phase of the Charles A. “Tappy” Seales Fire Station, located in Grove Place, will soon begin, according to the Virgin Islands Fire and Emergency Medical Services. The station, which handles about 35 to 40 percent of service calls on St. Croix, sustained significant damage from Hurricane Maria.
The project, coordinated through the Office of Disaster Recovery and funded under FEMA’s
Hazard Mitigation Program, will be executed by Marco St. Croix, Inc. Once rebuilt, the new
facility will accommodate Fire, EMS & V.I. Police Department operations, according to the press release.
The building will include a safe room, allowing the facility to function as a coordination point during emergency response operations and designed to withstand hurricane wind speeds of more than 180 mph, the release stated.
“We are excited to begin this project, which will greatly improve the safety and effectiveness of our emergency services in the area,” said VIFEMS Director Daryl A. George. “The Seales (Grove Place) Fire Station is a vital facility for our community and this new construction will ensure that we can continue to provide essential services during times of emergency.”
The VIFEMS said that emergency services will continue to be provided without interruption during the construction period. During this time, the Seales Fire Station will temporarily operate out of locations #208 & #209 Grove Place, St. Croix.
