The Westlake Fire Department in conjunction with the Emergency Services District 47 broke ground on a second fire station in March with plans to complete it by March 2014.

The new station will be catty corner to the current station, which is at 19703 Saums Road, and will act as the new primary fire station. The current facility will be utilized for EMT training sessions, said Fire Chief Mark Palmer. For Palmer and the department, which has outgrown its current facility, the new station has been a long time coming.

"We actually started this process 28 months ago, but we were then zoned into the flood plane and had to do a lot of land work," Palmer said.

The new station will also feature a large meeting room that can accommodate around 140 people, Palmer said, which will be available for use by the public. Sleeping quarters will house 18 people, and the department's eight fire trucks will be relocated to the new station along with its trailer.

For more information on the department, visit its website.