New South Rim fire station brings faster emergency response to growing Tooele County community

STOCKTON — In a community where wide-open skies and quiet roads are part of the appeal, residents can also now be proud of increased safety.

The South Rim Fire Station is now officially up and running.

It’s something Stockton Fire Department Chief Justin Huffman has been working on for this fast-growing part of Tooele County.

“This is something we’ve been trying to get done for a long time,” said Chief Huffman. “I think I have been trying to get this building out here for about ten years. We’ve been asking and trying to talk to the right people. It’s been a long road, but we’ve finally made it here.”

“A simpler state of living” in South Rim

South Rim sits just outside the small city of Stockton south of Tooele, where the pace of life is slower and increasingly attractive.

“Everybody is trying to get away and get back to maybe a simpler state of living,” said Chief Huffman. “It is beautiful.”

However, with the amount of growth over the past decade, and more than 200 new homes planned, the need for local emergency services has also grown.

Before the new station opened at 2555 Silver Avenue, if a call came for the South Rim area, the first responders who lived in South Rim had to drive from South Rim to Stockton and back, costing valuable minutes in an emergency.

“In the past, they’d have to go into the town of Stockton from the South Rim area and then respond potentially back to South Rim or back to the western half of Tooele County,” said Bucky Whitehouse, Director of Tooele County Emergency Services. “Even saving five minutes could mean saving a life.”

Now, with the new fire station, fire trucks and gear are a lot closer to South Rim.

“For me it’s simple,” Huffman said. “It’s putting emergency responders in the correct vehicles so we can respond, not only quickly, but with the right tools in our hands.”

South Rim and Tooele Officials still concerned about fireworks

Even with faster response times, the July Fourth holiday is something fire officials are worried about.

Fireworks are banned, but Tooele County Fire Warden Dan Walton knows not everyone will follow the rules.

“We hear it all the time form people who start fires with fireworks, that they didn’t think it would happen to them,” said Walton. “Just one spark from a firework and we are off to the races. It is dry, and in these conditions, fires spread rapidly.”

While fire managers hope the new station won’t be needed often, the reality of wildfire risk and rapid community growth makes it an important asset to the area.

“We needed something like this out there and it’s going to help us put out fires and help people faster,” said Whitehouse.

The all-volunteer fire department is now operation, with firefighters ready to go whenever the call comes in.

“We sleep with our pagers,” said Chief Huffman with a laugh. “We do it because we love this community and we want to help.”