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Fire and EMS outline training center, new stations and remodels in 5‑year CIP
Summary
Fire and EMS leaders presented capital requests including a proposed training center building, new stations at Zions Crossroads and Ferncliff tied to growth, and remodels at volunteer stations to address staffing and space constraints.
Fire and emergency services officials told the Planning Commission they have multiple capital improvement plan projects planned over the next five years to expand training capacity, add or replace stations where call volumes and growth warrant, and remodel volunteer stations to address overcrowding.
Deputy Chief (administration) Chrisley (identified in the presentation as "Chief Chrisley") described a training center remodel shifted to fiscal year 2027 and requested $900,000 for an additional building intended to provide two large classrooms, restrooms and a kitchenette. The remodel plan would also reconfigure the current classroom into offices and provide bays for a reserve engine and an ambulance. “This is essential with the growth in the department to hold fully certified classes,” Chrisley said, noting current limits force staff and volunteers to travel outside the county for some training.
Officials said two new stations — listed in the CIP for Zions Crossroads and Ferncliff — are on the horizon as the county grows, particularly along the Interstate 64 corridor. Chrisley said the trailer placed at Zions Crossroads in 2020–21 with CARES Act funding is inadequate for long-term staffing and apparatus needs, and that bay dimensions currently limit the size and type of equipment that can be housed. He said both stations include placeholders for a needs study and site-selection work in FY2027.
Commissioners asked about staffing and apparatus at Newbridge and were told staffing at Newbridge has increased; the department also applied for a SAFER grant for staffing that was not awarded. Officials said Newbridge’s likely apparatus mix would be a brush truck, ambulance, tanker and engine, and that current facilities will not house a ladder truck unless a new station is built or relocated.
The Louisa Volunteer Fire Department station remodel was presented as a longstanding CIP request. Chrisley said the plan would convert part of the current fire hall into bunkrooms and living/dining space, upgrade the kitchen, and add showers to male and female bathrooms. He said the existing building originally contained a three-bedroom configuration and is housing roughly 10 daily staff (30 people total across shifts), resulting in overcrowded sleeping arrangements. General services has been asked to provide temporary dividing solutions until a remodel is completed.
Locust Creek Volunteer Fire Department was supported in the CIP for FY2027 for a remodel to add living space, a room to house a state-mandated drug box system and an additional apparatus bay to offset living-space gains that would otherwise remove bay area.
Staff said a volunteer-management oversight group made up of volunteer chiefs and staff reviews needs and prioritizes station work based on staffing and firefighter safety.
No formal votes were taken; the presentations were informational as part of the county’s CIP review.
