Fire Chief Thomas Knapp visits the future site of Fire Station 423 which was funded with grant money. Knapp, who brings 28 years of fire service experience, is optimistic of the impact that the new station will have on the department.
SACATON- Gila River Fire Department’s future Fire Station 423 was buzzing with the sounds of lively construction on May 4, 2010. New Fire Chief Thomas C. Knapp toured the flourishing building with Larry Morris, Project Superintendent and was clear in his view of the new facility. “This is a lifetime station,” he said.
Knapp has been with the Community for six and a half years; six of those were at the helm of the preventions division. Now as Chief, Knapp sees a bright future for his “extremely talented staff.”
He said that the goals for the department are to get back to the basics. After budget cuts and the elimination of the battalion chief’s positions, Knapp said that it’s a different department with a renewed sense of ownership.
Knapp is going on 28 years of fire service, 20 of these years with the Rural/Metro Fire Department with stops as Chief in Fountain Hills and Paradise Valley. The father of three daughters also sits on the swimming pool advisory committee for Maricopa County. He humbly cast himself as lifelong learner and someone who relies on his peers and coworkers for insight and knowledge.
The new station is approximately 16,000 sq. ft. and has sleeping room for up to ten employees. Construction will be done around August followed by time to add the furniture, fixtures and equipment. “We wanted a robust station for the center of the Community as a focal point,” said Knapp of the building that was funded with grant money.
The new station in Blackwater received rave reviews and Knapp envisions a similar phenomenon with the Sacaton station. The Sacaton station was actually designed prior to the one in D1. D3’s current fire station was never designed to be a fire house and Knapp said that they could easily fit that station into one of the rooms in the new fire house. “When you have a centerpiece like this amongst beautiful buildings already here it ties it all together,” said Knapp.
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