By Wendy Anders

The Tamarindo Chamber of Commerce and Tourism was proud to announce the opening this month of a fire station in the nearby town of Huacas, 9 kilometers from Tamarindo.

The station will have one fire truck and eight firefighters, said the chamber in a press release.

Prior to the inauguration, the nearest fire stations were in Santa Cruz, some 36 kilometers away, some on unpaved roads, and Filadelfia, Carrillo 45 kilometers away. The travel time to respond to emergencies in Tamarindo from these sites was 45 minutes to an hour.

Hernán Imhoff, chamber president, said the new station fulfills a promise made at the end of 2015 when the project was initiated after several businesses were ravaged by fires.

Official data from the central fire department indicates that the new station in Huacas will serve about 30 thousand people.

Héctor Chaves, director of the fire department, said the station received support from the Reserva Playa Conchal hotel, and is one of 74 other fire stations strategically located across the country.

The new station will also serve as a base for emergency and rescue operations and forest fire prevention said chamber director, Federico Pilurzu.

The Tamarindo Chamber of Commerce and Tourism (CCTT) aims to unite local businesses to promote sustainable development in this beach town in the canton of Santa Cruz (Guanacaste) to provide optimal conditions for the thousands who visit daily from other parts of Costa Rica and from abroad.