KSHB 41 reporter Alyssa Jackson was a part of a team that covered a 28-week series, titled "Powering Change", in De Soto. She got a first look at the city's new fire station before it opens to the public. Share your story idea with Alyssa.
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Next month, the new Sunflower Fire Station will officially open in De Soto.
The fire station, in the Northwest Consolidated Fire District, is a $17.1 million project mostly funded by Panasonic Energy.
Panasonic Energy contributed $9.6 million. The contributions from Johnson County and the Kansas Department of Transportation's totaled $7.5 million.
It's one of Johnson County's largest public safety projects in more than a decade.
"It's time and we do deserve this," said Chief Todd Maxton.
The Northwest Consolidated Fire District covers 7,500 square miles of Northwest Johnson County.
Its current De Soto-based fire station in downtown is in an 80-year-old building, according to Chief Maxton.
Construction of the Sunflower Fire Station, also known as Station 13, started in 2024.
I visited the site when it was still under construction.
The new fire station will include a modern alert system, a new 100-foot aerial truck, an apparatus bay more than double the size of the current one, a breathing air apparatus room, decontamination area and a classroom.
"Firefighters and first responders, they will spend one-third of their lives at the fire station," Chief Maxton said. "They work 24-hour shifts and sleep at the station."
Panasonic Energy's contract with the City of De Soto includes long-term funding for public safety.
The company paid for a new $1.8 million fire engine. Over the next 20 years, it will make annual payments totaling $17 million for fire services.
"We want to build a space that's gonna be here 50-75 years that's gonna be able to accommodate growth," said Tony Barron, director of facilities management for Johnson County.
The demand for fire services has grown with the population. Since last year, call volume is up 14%. Simultaneous calls, meaning more than one active incident at time, are up 28%.
With additional funding, the fire district has been able to expand its team.
In the past year, six new firefighters and a deputy chief were added to the staff.
While Station 13 hasn't occupied its new building yet, they're ready to call it home.
"They never thought they'd see that in this community," Maxton said. "This is a very large piece of our future, but we need to take this and keep running."
