Well, at least a house fire. UFA has two new stations under construction and five more on the planning table.

Manpower is increasing, too. UFA currently has about 550 employees and expects to add as many as 120 more in the next three years, said UFA Capt. Clint Mecham.

"It's not just about response times," Mecham said of the new fire stations. "It's also about the number of firefighters you can get on the scene."

One sunny day in August, Mecham gave a tour of the new station under construction in Emigration Canyon. Currently, if any fire breaks out in the canyon, the Salt Lake City Fire Department has to dispatch a truck from a station near the canyon's mouth.

Another station is under construction in Draper and the city government there is financing the project. In November, construction will begin on a station in Millcreek, followed by two projects to begin in the winter and two more in 2010.

Even if you don't live in a community where UFA provides services, you probably work in or at least drive through one. UFA territory looks much like a horse shoe stretching from the suburbs along the Oquirrh Mountains to Draper to the communities in and around Little, Big and Emigration canyons.

In all, UFA says it serves about 338,000 residents.

Construction begins in February on a Herriman station at 4850 W. Mt. Ogden Peak (14620 South). It will be the second station within the city's limits.

Brett Wood, assistant city manager for Herriman, said the original fire station was designed for a volunteer fire department and was never intended to house firefighters or the equipment there today.

"It's been kind of a makeshift fire station," Wood said, "and because of the needs of the growing community we need to build a larger and more full-function station."

Wood said firefighters stationed in Herriman still have good response times, but calls for service has increased and have driven the need for a new fire station.

The construction and new hires will bring UFA "fairly close" to being in compliance with national standards for firefighter-to-population ratios, Mecham said.

ncarlisle@sltrib.com