COLLINSVILLE, Okla. — "The citizens of Collinsville have always supported the community, and the city and the schools really well," Chief Harold Call said, "So we were excited that it passed. You never know going into a vote. Especially with the economy the way it was at the time and just coming off COVID."
That excitement may come from the pattern of slow change the Collinsville Fire Department has faced. In 1913, Collinsville’s first firefighters were stationed at what is now the city hall building. Nearly a hundred years later, they were able to move into their current home.
Fast forward another twenty-two years, and they’re ready to build an additional substation.
"We have some preliminary designs that might have to be tweaked a little bit depending on the lot size and make it fit with whatever piece of land we end up with," Call said.
They’re trying to secure land on the west side of town to serve new housing developments with faster response times.
"Housing out west toward the new fire station has really blown up. The schools can hardly keep up with the number of new students each year," neighbor Ted Wright said.
Call told 2 News his department mostly handles emergency medical care. Their current home, downtown, is a five-minute drive to the West. Not to mention the additional 15 minutes to Owasso’s hospital. Speaking of Owasso, Ted Wright sees Collinsville going on a similar trajectory.
"Owasso used to be a tiny little town, and they exploded," Wright said, "And I think now they’ve overgrown. So businesses are coming this way."
Construction on the new facility is set to begin in 2024.
Collinsville also recently broke ground on a new police department.
2 News was at the groundbreaking and spoke with local leaders about the area's development:
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