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Twin Lakes: Better protected

New fire station helps response time to twin lakes

-Messenger photo by Chad Thompson The new fire station built near Twin Lakes is nearly ready for the fire trucks to move in.

TWIN LAKES — For any fire department, a quick response is key, whether responding to a medical emergency or an active fire.

And for far too long, volunteer firefighters in the Manson and Rockwell City area weren’t able to respond to the growing Twin Lakes community as fast as they would have liked.

“It takes longer to respond to the lake community because some guys have to drive right by an active scene to go get the fire truck and come back the same way,” said Brad Gangestad, a Manson volunteer firefighter and Sherman Township trustee.

The solution to that problem turned out to be a new fire station with a better location.

“We wanted it to be centrally located between Rockwell City and Manson,” Gangestad said. “It’s about having the right equipment in the right place at the right time.”

The right place was land owned by Dave Cassens in Sherman Township. Sherman Township encompasses the lake area.

For about six years, Manson Fire Chief John Colshan and Assistant Fire Chief Dave Anderson have been advocating for the new station.

In the summer of 2019, there was a breakthrough when the Calhoun County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to overrule the Calhoun County Planning and Zoning Board’s rejection of a proposed change to the Comprehensive Land Use Plan and also changed a parcel of land’s zoning.

The decision paved the way for the construction of a new station.

Plans for the building were developed as the fire departments worked with the Calhoun County engineer, the supervisors and the Zoning Board to create the facility.

In December, Doyle Construction, of Fort Dodge, began its work.

On July 9, 2020, Sherman Township took possession of the 55-by-60-foot building.

The trucks have since moved in.

An 85-foot snorkel truck owned by the Rockwell City Fire Department, a tanker and pumper are among the vehicles housed there.

The snorkel truck was purchased from the Fort Dodge Fire Department. The other two trucks will be owned by Manson.

Gangestad said the new station will help firefighters better serve Twin Lakes, which includes nearly 400 homes.

“We wanted to provide better protection to the lake community,” said Gangestad, who has 19 years of experience as a firefighter, including nine with Manson.

For calls to Twin Lakes, firefighters from Manson, Rockwell City, Pomeroy, Jolley and Knoke respond.

“If another town needs additional fire protection, we can provide that from this building for mutual aid calls,” Gangestad said.

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