Fire Chief Mike Carrier of Bristol, Tennessee, talks about the new home of Fire Station 2, now located in front of Holston View Elementary School.
BRISTOL, Tennessee – Bristol, Tennessee, unveiled its highly anticipated new Fire Station 2 on Monday.
Firefighter Steven Carroll talks about the decontamination room, which has a shower, washer and dryer for equipment.
Emily Ball Bristol Herald Courier
“This new station here has been many years in the planning and we have gone through the entire process to actually make it a reality,” said BTFD CEO Mike Carrier.
Fire Station 2, now in its new home in front of Holston View Elementary School in Bristol, Tennessee.
Emily Ball Bristol Herald Courier
The new $4 million, 8,000-square-foot station is located next to Holston View Elementary School and replaces the smaller facility at 1109 King College Road, which was built in the 1960s.
Bristol, Tennessee Fire Chief Mike Carrier talks about the new Fire Station 2, which has moved to its new home in front of Holston View Elementary School.
Emily Ball Bristol Herald Courier
Chief Carrier explained that the new station is better located and better equipped to serve the community of Bristol, Tennessee.
“We have a station that is much more compatible with the equipment and equipment sizes that we have at the fire department today,” Carrier said. “We have a station that is much more user-friendly for the firefighters – both men and women – that are stationed here 24 hours a day, 10 days a month.”
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A shot of the gates of Fire Station 2 showing a drive-through for two of the vehicles and a third bay for the ambulance, a decontamination room, a turnaround equipment room, a weight room and living quarters.
Emily Ball Bristol Herald Courier
The new station features six individual dormitory-style bedrooms for on-duty firefighters, a living room, kitchen and gym.
Firefighter Steven Carroll in the kitchen area of the newly constructed Fire Station 2.
Emily Ball Bristol Herald Courier
Chief Carrier emphasized that the new station not only provides better living quarters for the city’s firefighters, but also meets the latest NFPA standards and features everything from a decontamination room for equipment to an air scrubber system that significantly reduces exposure to carcinogens.
“This gas station is equipped with an air scrubber system that filters out all carcinogens from the oils, fuels and exhaust from these trucks,” Carrier said.
The new location of Fire Station 2 will allow the BTFD to respond to calls more quickly, Carrier said.
One of the rooms in the firefighters’ sleeping quarters with a bed and storage space.
Emily Ball Bristol Herald Courier
“Our goal is to have the first unit and first crew on scene within four minutes of the first call for a structure fire. Where the fire has occurred so far, it has been quite difficult to meet those timelines and distance,” Carrier said.
“This station should be able to serve the citizens of Bristol and this special region for the next 50 years,” added Carrier.
Firefighter Steven Carroll talks about the decontamination room, which has a shower, washer and dryer for equipment.
Emily Ball Bristol Herald Courier
Chief Carrier explained that construction on Fire Station 2 began in December 2022 and emphasized that the BTFD has been partially operating from there since July 29.
“We started occupying the building on July 29, and that’s when the first calls actually started coming from that station,” Carrier said.
A shot from inside the firefighting gear room, where firefighters store their clothing in an enclosed area adjacent to the bay of the newly constructed Fire Station 2 building.
Emily Ball Bristol Herald Courier
BTFD will host a grand opening ceremony for Fire Station 2 on site this Tuesday at 1:30 p.m.
