In Rychnov nad Kněžnou, the construction of a fire station has begun

Fire Station in Maastricht (Neutelings Riedijk, 1999)

Rychnov nad Kněžnou - The construction of a new fire station began today in Rychnov nad Kněžnou for 203 million crowns. It will be built on the outskirts of the city along the main road leading to the Kvasiny industrial zone. It is expected to be completed next August. Currently, professional firefighters in Rychnov are using an inadequate facility near the Rychnov Castle in the historic city center.
    "The current station does not meet construction or technical requirements and its reconstruction or expansion is not possible," said the director of the Hradec Králové County firefighters, František Mencl. The new station will have garages for 14 fire vehicles as its base. Besides the facilities for firefighters and crisis management space, it will also include classrooms, a gym, and outdoor sports facilities.
    The new station is part of a more than billion-crown investment by the state and the region into the development of the Kvasiny industrial zone, home to the Škoda Auto car manufacturer. Thanks to the new station, response times for firefighters to the industrial zone will be significantly reduced. "This will significantly lower the costs for investors for fire protection of facilities," stated Hradec Králové Governor Lubomír Franc. The main part of the state support for the Kvasiny zone goes to roads, hospitals, schools, and wastewater treatment plants.
    The station will be built by the construction company VCES, which has previously worked on some projects for firefighters. "We took over the construction site on May 11. We have 15 months to complete the project," said Martin Bašek, vice-chairman of the VCES board.
    In addition to the station in Rychnov, the Hradec Králové county firefighters are currently building a fire station on the outskirts of Hradec Králové in the Kukleny district, not far from the D11 highway. Their response times on the highway and throughout the western part of the district should be significantly faster thanks to the new station. The station should be completed by the end of this year.
    A new station costing approximately 30 million crowns is also expected to be built in Dvůr Králové nad Labem in the future. At the current station next to the church in the city center, the firefighters are renting and working under inadequate conditions.