Contractor: New fire station won't be ready until at least June

May 20—Decatur Fire & Rescue's move-in date for the new Station 5 on the corner of Danville and Modaus roads will likely happen next month instead of this month as planned, and it's a move that will be bittersweet for the firefighters leaving their old home.

Jerry Broadbent, general contractor for Brad Slate Construction, said Thursday he's "hoping" the new $3.5 million station, located across the street from Austin Middle School in Southwest Decatur, will be finished by the middle of June.

"We've had the same problems every construction company has had," Broadbent said. "We can't get anything (supplies) delivered on time. We've had problems with having enough employees. A couple of changes also held us up."

Chase Grisham, broker of the Grisham Group of EXP Realty, bought the old Station 5 for $226,500 in April.

City Attorney Herman Marks said Thursday that Grisham understands there's a delay and is willing to wait for the completion of the new station before occupying the old one. He will not charge the city rent for its delayed departure from the old station, Marks said.

Whenever the Station 5 firefighters move from the old station, which is a mile down Danville Road by Decatur Mall, they will find a lavish new station designed by Fuqua Architects to meet their needs.

"It's nice," Lt. Kevin Jackson said. "It will be an adjustment to leave home. Change is hard sometimes. It will be bittersweet."

Jackson said of old Station 5 that he and his co-workers "really love this station and see it as home. There's been firefighters in it for 60 years. The names may change, but there's always been a firefighter in that station."

However, Jackson said they really like the new 8,729-square-foot fire station because of its size and proximity to the area of Southwest Decatur and the city's police jurisdiction where they have to provide coverage.

The firefighters have toured the new station a number of times during construction, and Jackson said they love it. His favorite part is the large red garage doors that open up to an expansive 4,800-square-foot engine bay that's big enough to hold two firetrucks. The new bay also has a carbon monoxide filtering system that keeps the firefighters safe.

"The red garage doors open in 10 seconds," Jackson said. "Every time we have to leave the station, that's going to help with our response times to help people."

In contrast, the old fire station is only 3,077 square feet and its one engine bay is barely large enough to hold today's modern firetrucks. Fire Chief Tracy Thornton said there are only a few inches on each side of a truck when they back into the old station's bay.

Originally, the old station had an open sleeping area. The city later created separated sleeping areas for the firefighters, but Thornton said they're not as nice as the 15 small bedrooms at the new station.

Each firefighter will now have his or her own bedroom that's big enough for a single-sized bed and a nightstand, the chief said.

Another detail Jackson likes about the new station is it has two hallways instead of one, which he said makes it quicker for the firefighters to race out of their rooms, grab their turnout gear and jump on the truck to respond to a call.

The firefighters store their turnout gear around the engine bay at the old station, while the new station has a storage room for their gear. The room also doubles as a tornado shelter, which will be a first among the city's fire stations, Thornton said.

"It's surrounded by concrete block and rebar and certified to withstand hurricane-force winds," Thornton said.

The new station has a decontamination room just off the engine bay for the firefighters to clean themselves and their gear after a call. There's also an emergency decontamination shower area in the room, Thornton said.

Thornton said the station features five offices, including two for battalion chiefs, two for lieutenants and one where the firefighters can prepare reports or use the computer.

"We're planning on even splitting the battalion chiefs so one is in the south at this station and the other is in the north at Station 1," Thornton said.

The new station also tries to take care of the firefighters' comfort as they work their 24-hour shifts.

While the bedrooms provide a quiet place (especially away from those who snore), an outdoor patio includes a television and comfortable patio furniture. A day room with another television provides for indoor comfort.

The spacious kitchen includes a large red gas stove and oven. A gas hookup now waits for a grill just out the front door from the kitchen, Thornton said.

Jackson has been with Decatur Fire & Rescue for 18 years, which included separate tenures of two and three years at Station 5. He also has worked the city's three other newer stations, Nos. 1, 3 and 4.

"Station 5 is nicer just because it's the newer one, but they're all nice," Jackson said.

Thornton said he expects the Station 5 firefighters will be happy at their new home even though they're attached to the station they're leaving.

"We've put a lot of work into the station to make it nice," Thornton said.

— bayne.hughes@decaturdaily.com or 256-340-2432. Twitter @DD_BayneHughes.