Battle Creek Fire Station #1 Is Now Closed

As of 8 a.m. Monday morning, Fire Station #1 near downtown Battle Creek will no longer be housing firefighters.

In a release, the City of Battle Creek says that the station at 195 E. Michigan Ave. next to the Justice Center will still house the Battle Creek Fire Department's administrative offices. As well, training sessions will take place at the station.

However, firefighters who were stationed at Station #1 will be moved to other stations. Fire Chief David Schmaltz says that this change will not affect response time to emergencies; calls that were handled by Station #1 will instead be answered by Station #3 on Cliff St.

The change comes as the department is dealing with the cost of maintaining fire engines, including the necessary purchase of a new one after an engine rolled over last winter.