New Fire Station Planned For Sandy Springs

SANDY SPRINGS, GA — The Sandy Springs Public Facilities Authority has approved the purchase of property at 7800 Mt. Vernon Road to house a fire station to support public safety efforts in the city’s panhandle district. The purchase price for the 1-acre property is $450,000.

“We’ve been searching for a long time to find the right location. It hasn’t been easy because of the residential nature of this area. This station will help improve response times and save lives,” said Sandy Springs Councilman John Paulson, representing District One, which includes the Panhandle.

The property is located at the intersection of Spalding Drive and Mt. Vernon Road. The new station will be designed to blend in with the residential character of the neighborhood.

The panhandle area is currently served by Fire Station 51, located on Spalding Drive at Roberts Road, with support from Engine 55, housed at the City of Roswell’s Fire Station No. 27 on Holcomb Bridge Road. Response time to reach some areas within this district can take from eight to 10 minutes.

Time is a critical component in fire station response. For someone experiencing a cardiac arrest, irreversible brain damage can occur after four to six minutes without proper treatment and death after ten minutes. An estimated 80 percent of sudden cardiac arrest incidents occur at home. A fire doubles in size every 30 seconds. The chance of injury or death for civilians and firefighters increases alongside the growth of that fire.

Between September 2019 and August 2020, the Sandy Springs Fire Department received 1,641 calls for service in this coverage area.

The city will conduct due diligence and surveys as part of the sale process. The city will select an architect through its procurement process. The project will follow the city’s zoning process, including community meetings before the plans are presented to the planning commission and then the city council for approval.