Since the 1930s, Des Moines’ central fire station has sat downtown. But its residents have outgrown their quarters, so the operation will soon move out of its historic location to a new $5.5 million building at 1330 Mulberry St.

Along with the new fire station comes a separate training and logistics facility at 2715 Dean Ave. that is set to cost around $10.6 million, said Michele Bischof, the superintendent of technical services for the Des Moines Fire Department.

The building will enclose 53,773 square feet and house administration offices and training facilities, Bischof said. It will also serve as a maintenance shop and warehouse for fire trucks and ambulances.

“This is really necessary,” she said, pointing out that the department has no space for training and is currently using the Lomar Foods Inc. building on 1300 Scott Ave.

Bischof said the training and logistics center will have classroom and office space and will function Monday through Friday during normal business hours.

“The project is looking to be completed by the middle of the summer,” Bischof said.

“However, we have no hard dates because the winter weather could have an impact on it – but it is scheduled to be completed by early July.”

The original fire station, located at 900 Mulberry St., was built in 1933, and Bischof said the fire department and its equipment have outgrown its downtown location. It now has nine front-line fire engines, five ladder trucks and eight front-line ambulances along with reserve trucks, Bischof said, and all of these trucks are significantly bigger than the ones used in the 1930s.

The logistics and training facility project started in July 2005 when the department received $500,000 to start the search for contractors and planners.

Bischof said it’s important to note the project is on time and on budget.

“We’ve been in need of this for about 30 years,” she said.

“There have been numerous studies that say we would benefit from a training center, so we can be better prepared to go forth and protect the city.”