FARMINGTON – San Juan County Fire and Rescue unveiled a new fire station this week, completing a longtime dream of one firefighter to turn family farmland into a fire station.
San Juan County Fire and Rescue Capt. Jarred Stock, along with his firefighting wife, Jessica Stock, have four boys younger than 10 who already seem interested in the family business.
But Jarred didn’t just help make a firefighting family, he came from one.
Jarred’s father, Steven Stock, was a member of the Valley Fire Department for more than 30 years. It was Steven’s vision for a new fire station in Waterflow, west of Farmington, that got the project rolling.
The Stock family owns land that the family has farmed and worked since 1946. Today, Oliver Stock Sr., Jarred’s grandfather, still farms part of the land. A piece of it, however, has now been sold to make Steven’s dream come true.
“Our old fire station is right down the road, and me and my dad used to run to that one,” Jarred said. “It was his dream to open this fire station up, so it’s super exciting for me.”
Steven didn’t get to see the dream come to fruition, however. He died in 2019. But Jarred said he was happy to see what his father started become a reality.
Oliver sold 2 acres of land in 2019 to San Juan County. Construction began June 2020.
Devin Neeley, spokesman for San Juan County, said the station cost a total of $756,133, of which $509,345 came from money saved by the fire department and $200,000 came from a State Fire Fund grant. That left San Juan County a $45,000 tab to make the station a reality.
The station is a scaled-down version that does not have living quarters; rather, it is a pit stop for volunteers to grab equipment and go to a call. The station does have a large kitchen and training rooms, with the capability to expand and build living quarters in the future if the need arises.
mmitchell@durangoherald.com
