A rendering of the new Charles A. “Tappy” Seales Fire Station to be built in Grove Place, St. Croix. Photo Credit: THE VIRGIN ISLANDS FIRE & EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES
The V.I. Fire and Emergency Medical Services announced Friday the start of demolition and excavation phase of the Charles A. “Tappy” Seales Fire Station, located in Grove Place. The station, which handles about 35 to 40 percent of service calls on St. Croix, sustained significant damage from Hurricane Maria.
According to VIFEMS, 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 & VIPD operations.
The new building will include safe room construction, 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.
“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.”
VIFEMS assured the public 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 location #208 & #209 Grove Place, St. Croix.
