Koblerville fire station to aid south side

The Jose Terlaje Ada Fire Station reopened last Thursday, April 20, after undergoing a couple of months of renovation. The building was then known as Koblerville Fire Station No. 4 and was renamed to honor the former Division of Fire chief through Saipan Local Law 16-13.

It went through some facelift through a community development block grant courtesy of the Northern Marianas Housing Corp. Expanding the station and installing roll up grills are some of the improvement done by contractor HBR International Inc. Saipan.

Gov. Ralph DLG Torres led the ribbon cutting ceremony where Lt. Gov. Victor B. Hocog, Department of Fire and Emergency Management Services Commissioner Clyde K. Norita, Saipan Mayor David M. Apatang, EMS Advisory chair Esther S. Milne, and NMHC deputy corporate director Zenie P. Mafnas and planner Jacob Muna were also in attendance.

Reps. Angel Demapan (R-Saipan), Edwin Propst (Ind-Saipan), Joseph Leepan T. Guerrero (R-Saipan), Gregorio Sablan (R-Saipan), John Paul Sablan (R-Saipan), Frank Dela Cruz (R-Saipan), Edmund Villagomez (Ind-Saipan), and Alice Igitol (R-Saipan), Rev. Fr. James Balajadia, and Pastor Frederick Fatialofa where also present during the ceremony.

The station provides service to southern portion of Saipan that include the villages of Chalan Piao, Koblerville, Dandan, As Lito, San Antonio, and the Francisco C. Ada/Saipan International Airport among others.

The station’s EMS staff was among those that quickly responds to emergencies on the island and deploys 22 ambulances in a day.

Demapan said this is one of the reasons why communities on southern Saipan could sleep comfortably at night. “The station is vital to the people of Saipan’s south side, especially with development also happening here. People can sleep comfortably knowing that they would always be protected.”

Torres said the project was completed through the strong collaboration of NMHC through the CDBG and funding from the local government. “Having and Fire-EMS station in the area is the vital role of the safety of San Antonio, Koblerville, and nearby areas. It keeps the well-being of the community intact.”

DFEMS received a $130,000 funding from the CDBG through the help of NMHC. The grant was from the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development and is among the projects NMHC had helped in funding through HUD.

Norita said NMHC had been helpful with DFEMS’ request. “It was in March 2015 when we asked for a grant to NMHC. Since Day 1, they have been very helpful and assisted us with our request. The funds are a big help with our projects.”

Muna said the Susupe and Kagman fire stations were also renovated along with the one on Rota, which also received a new ambulance. The Tinian Fire Station got a new firetruck and equipment that cost over $200,000.