The fences are up, the asbestos removal sign is on display, which means the demolition of the Goonellabah Fire Station on Taylor Avenue (corner Rous Road) is not far away.

Residents in Goonellabah would have noticed the removal of the telecommunications tower approximately four weeks ago in preparation for the rest of the demolition.

The tower removal has led to many residents complaining about reduced mobile phone signal strength, which has decreased the services delivered by their provider.

The Lismore App contacted Optus, which was on the tower, and provides access to resellers, such as Vodafone, Amaysim, TPG, and Virgin Mobile. They acknowledged that the nearest tower is now quite far away, and there is a problem in the area.

The good news is that Optus is working on a new tower; the bad news is that there is no restoration time period.

Back to the demolition and rebuild of the Goonellabah Fire Station.

The firefighters who have called Goonellabah home are in a temporary facility until the completion of the new $7 million Goonellabah Fire Station, which is expected to be in October 2026.

Demolition will occur over the next three months, with construction starting in August.

During that time, the new plans will be completed by June, and at the same time, the conceptual drawings will be finalised.

The concept is to construct a modern, purpose-built building with facilities that are in line with today's standards and culture. This includes male and female privacy areas, which until now has been a shared space. Females now represent over 10% of the Fire and Rescue service personnel.

Another important addition to the new building is the 'clean firefighter program'. This is a designated area for firies to bring back carcinogens and other harmful particulates from fire scenes.

When complete, the new Goonellabah Fire Station will accommodate both the permanent (full-time) firefighters currently based at 141 Molesworth Street, Lismore, and the existing retained firefighters of the Goonellabah Fire Station. Their truck and associated resources will also be housed at the new facility.

The purpose of this redevelopment is to relocate essential emergency services outside of the major flood zone, ensuring that the crew and equipment currently based in Lismore are not displaced during flood events.

Currently, the Lismore station is staffed by both permanent and retained personnel. Once the redevelopment is complete, the permanent staff will relocate to the new Goonellabah Fire Station, and the Lismore station will operate as a retained-only station.