Groundbreaking ceremony for the new Fire Station 35 — image credit: Washoe County
A new Apple-backed fire station has begun construction in Nevada, aimed at serving the area that includes an Apple iCloud data center near Reno.
Part of the Reno Technology Park, Apple’s data center is around 20 miles from Reno itself, and 40 miles from Apple Shayden Summit, the nearest Apple Store. It was begun in 2012, and after considerable construction work, has been operating as an iCloud data center since 2013.
Now according to the local fire department, Truckee Meadows Fire & Rescue, Apple has donated land and provided at least some funding for the new Fire Station 35.
“Apple is proud to support the construction of Truckee Meadows Fire Station 35, and we’re thrilled to celebrate its groundbreaking today alongside our local partners,” Melissa Schild, Apple’s Senior Director of Global Real Estate and Facilities, said in a statement. “This new facility will provide vital services for the community, and we’re incredibly grateful to the first responders who will serve here in the near future.”
As well as the local area and Apple’s data center, Fire Station 35 will also serve Apple’s nearby satellite ground station. That station supports Apple’s Emergency SOS via satellite service.
“We are really pleased to be able to break ground on our newest fire station, and incredibly grateful for the partnership and generosity from Apple,” added Interim Fire Chief Dale Way of Truckee Meadows Fire Protection District. “The strategic location of this station will better serve our residents in Washoe County and support our partners in Storey County and the City of Sparks.”
Apple provided land for a 13,000-square-foot station, which house between four and eight firefighters 24 hours a day. With a fire house plus three apparatus bays, the station will be equipped with a Type 1 Fire Engine, a Type 3 Brush Engine, and a water tender.
It’s not clear how long construction is expected to take, but there are already plans for future expansion to include a paramedic ambulance.
Records from Apple’s purchase of land in 2012 show that it then spent $4.6 million on an administration building, plus more than $6.8 million for two “data processing cluster buildings.” Apple bought 345 acres of land, although initially it was only planning to use 63 acres for the data center.
