TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — Tucson cut the ribbon on Fire Station 14 along South Nogales Highway, replacing the old South Liberty Avenue firehouse with a 15,000-square-foot facility built to improve emergency response times and firefighter health.
The nearly $10 million project was funded through Proposition 101, a voter-approved bond measure. The city says the new station is one of five new fire stations being funded through Prop 101, alongside the remodeling of nine existing stations across Tucson.
Tucson Fire Chief Sharon McDonough said the new station is designed to get crews to emergencies faster.
"To the community it means faster response and a faster response means we save your property or save your life because we got there faster," McDonough said.
The station also includes a decontamination space with separate ventilation designed to keep hazardous fumes out of the living area — a feature aimed directly at reducing firefighters' cancer risk. According to the American Cancer Society, the average firefighter has about a 40 to 60 percent chance of developing cancer compared to the average American.
"Cancer is the number one killer of firefighters and it brings all of that safety and wellness that we work hard to have for our firefighters," McDonough said.
Tucson Mayor Regina Romero said the cancer prevention design addresses a well-documented risk facing firefighters on the job.
"Why? Because firefighters suffer of cancers because of the fumes and so this particular process of keeping the fumes out will really help their quality of life and the health of our firefighters as well," Romero said.
Romero said the project reflects the trust voters placed in the city when they approved Prop 101.
"Through voter approved bonds Proposition 101... the last projects that we're delivering to people based on their votes," Romero said.
"Tucsonans and the voters really trusted the City of Tucson with their investments and this is the result," Romero said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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Marc Monroy joined KGUN 9 as a multimedia journalist after moving from KGUN 9’s sister station, KXXV, in Waco, Texas. He graduated from California State University, Northridge, in 2024 with a degree in journalism. A native of Southern California and a bilingual reporter, Marc is excited to serve Southern Arizona and looks forward to connecting with neighbors in the community. Share your story ideas and important issues with Marc by emailing marc.monroy@kgun9.com or by connecting on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook.
