VIRGINIA BEACH---It first started serving Chesapeake Beach in the 1960's, but officials say the Pleasure House Road fire station is in need of an upgrade.

'It's fifty years old and it no longer meets our needs,' said Virginia Beach Fire Department spokesperson Tim Reily.

The station's current location keeps the city from providing a five-minute response times for its designated service area.

That means some people living near the beach aren't as well protected.

'Living on the beach with storms and losing power is stressful,' said Virginia Beach resident Julie Brouse. 'With that danger, it's disturbing to know you don't have that.'


It also means the sound of sirens move closer to Brouse's door.

'That's a negative,' said Brouse. 'But just like when you hear planes, it's the sound of freedom and the sound of safety.'

The new station will open in 2013.

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