Answer: Station #3 located at 550 N. Oakland Ave.
The Dallas Fire Rescue Department Hazardous Materials Team has recently been relocated to Station 3, located just east of downtown Dallas near Baylor Medical Center. Station 3 is a much larger facility than Station 4, which was used for Hazmat since the teams inception. In addition, the new station has allowed the addition of a paramedic team to the Hazmat response.
Dallas’ Hazmat team was first put into service in 1988.
Station 3, houses HAZMAT 3, Engine 3, Truck 3 and Rescue 3. HAZMAT 3 serves the City of Dallas, an area of approximately 380 square miles with a population of 1,188,580. Through automatic assistance and mutual aide agreements, the team provides HAZMAT response to numerous municipalities surrounding Dallas, increasing their response area significantly.
An interesting “feature” in Station #3 is its “alligator pit.” Several years ago, Station #3 firefighters noticed a magazine advertisement selling baby alligators. Not surprisingly, six weeks later a package arrived at Station #3 with an alligator. The firefighters placed the “pet” in the open atrium where they nourished it until it grew to an incompatible size; whereupon, they donated it to the Dallas Zoo. However, the pit remains and its “new” purpose is “inaugurating rookies.” The new fire and rescue officers are placed in the pit, the sliding door locked and a hose line run over the roof into the pit. Some stations have mop sinks, others trees. Station #3 has its alligator pit.