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Ione gets new fire station

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Ione Fire Department

Ribbon cutting ceremonies kicked off the Grand Opening of the new Ione Fires Station. Fire Chief Ken Mackey and City Manager Kim Kerr, Vice Mayor Skip Schaufel, Jim Ulm and Mayor Lee Ard of the Ione City Council participated in the opening ceremonies.

Ione Fire Department celebrates grand opening of fire station No. 162 with ribbon-cutting ceremony

Courtesy of Ledger-Dispatch

Fire Chief Ken Mackey followed the fire engines around on his bike with dreams of becoming a firefighter. He fulfilled those dreams and through dedication and hard work, now has a career in the fire service that spans over 35 years.

Mackey became the fire chief for the city of Ione in 1996, and with dedicated support and assistance from the Ione City Council and City Manager Kim Kerr, planned and built fire station No. 162 - more than 8,000 square feet that will serve the city of Ione for years to come.

The ceremony consisted of the Ione Fire Department's honor guard presenting the American flag donated by the Kreth family and the California state flag donated by the Ione Native Daughters of the Golden West. Speeches were given by Mayor Lee Ard, Kerr and Mackey. All of the speeches thanked the citizens of Ione for their support of the fire department, as well as the deep gratitude and respect for the firefighters' dedication to the city of Ione and to their families for going above and beyond to serve the citizens of Ione. The ceremony and open house was attended by more than 200 people. For more information, call 274-4548.