Battalion Chief Tom Foushee of the Chandler Fire Department said a 2021 bond election funded a rebuilt Fire Station No. 2 at Alma School and Warner that added space for a second apparatus and new safety features intended to speed local response and reduce exposure risks for firefighters.

Foushee described why the changes matter: “The older station had 2 bays in it, so we had enough room for our 1 truck and our rescue,” he said. “Now that we have a larger bay, we added a second unit here. So if 1 truck's out and we have those stack calls, we're able to capture more of those calls in this district.”

The station upgrade, which Foushee and Council Member Hawkins discussed during a recorded “Discover” segment, included a larger apparatus bay, a dedicated area and commercial-style extractor for cleaning turnout gear, and ventilated turnout storage. Foushee said the extractor is a “large commercial washer … specially made for our turnouts” and that having extractors in-house allows the department to rotate sets of turnout gear while keeping cleaning work inside the station.

Why it matters: station capacity and in-house cleaning affect how often Chandler units can cover calls inside the district without relying on neighboring agencies. Foushee said the old station’s single apparatus sometimes required the city to “rely on our districts or our neighboring cities,” which he said increased response time. He credited the citizens who approved the 2021 bond election for the upgrades.

Supporting details provided in the interview include:
- Old station configuration: two bays that typically housed one engine and one rescue unit, per Foushee.
- New capacity: an additional apparatus bay and a second unit assigned to Station No. 2 to better cover stacked calls within the district, according to Foushee.
- Turnout safety: an on-site extractor and ventilated storage to clean and dry turnout gear; the department provides two sets of turnout gear per firefighter so one set can be cleaned while the other is used. Foushee said the turnout storage room is ventilated 24/7.
- Daily operations and training: Foushee described 48-hour shifts, routine checks of apparatus, crew-based cooking and meal prep, and on-site study rooms for members preparing for medic school or promotional testing.

Discussion vs. formal action: the information came from an interview segment and represents staff description and council member questions; no formal council vote or ordinance was discussed or recorded during the segment.

Community context: Foushee said the upgrades were intended to increase capacity within the station’s service area so that Chandler units can capture more calls in the district rather than relying on mutual aid. He also described safety and logistical benefits for firefighters, including in-house cleaning that reduces the turnaround time for contaminated gear.

This account summarizes remarks made on camera by Battalion Chief Tom Foushee and questions by Council Member Hawkins; it does not report any formal municipal action taken during the segment.