BLOOMINGTON — Bloomington city leaders uncoupled a fire hose Thursday in front of the newly renovated downtown fire headquarters on Fourth Street, which has sat empty for nearly three years after a historic flood in 2021.
City Council President Isabel Piedmont-Smith and Bloomington Mayor Kerry Thomson were in attendance.
"It's an interesting feeling," said Bloomington Fire Chief Roger Kerr. "When we left here three and a half years ago, the idea was, not to ever come back here. We thought that we would be moving out there, going to tear the building down. We'd be somewhere else."
The basement of the old fire station was completely underwater on June 18 that year, after torrential downpours left most of the Kirkwood area under several feet of water. Many of the same firefighters who were stationed at the downtown firehouse spent that night rescuing people trapped in flood waters.
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The new fire headquarters is bigger with several internal changes as well.
The garage is the same size, with new upgrades, including horizontally-opening shutter doors instead of the traditional pull back doors. The station was expanded to the east of the garage, and leaves space for a bigger kitchen, reconfigured living room and separate sleeping areas.
Now, when dispatched to an emergency, the alarm will only wake up firefighters of the same apparatus, meaning if only a ladder truck is needed, the firefighters on that vehicle will be the only ones hearing the alarm.
"Sleep deprivation is one of the biggest issues we deal with as far as, heart issues," Kerr said. "So that's a big, big change."
Kerr also expressed his excitement for returning to the original fire headquarters, after working in a makeshift fire station down the road for the last several years.
"It just shows a commitment to the city that to actually make sure that we got back downtown," Kerr said, "When we left this, the surrounding scenery wasn't quite like it is now. We're glad to be here like we always have been."
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Kerr said firefighters hope to be completely moved into the renovated station by the end of the day Friday, ready to respond to calls for service.
“We are beyond thrilled with how the renovation of Fire Station 1 turned out,” said Deputy Fire Chief Max Litwin. “Our top priority has always been ensuring the safety and well-being of Bloomington’s residents, and having a fully modernized station means we can provide the highest level of protection and service."
The fire station will host an open house on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. where neighbors can get a behind-the-scenes look at the station’s upgrades, meet some of the firefighters and learn more about fire safety.
