Yearlong planning for a second fire station within the town of Signal Mountain yielded concrete results when the Signal Mountain Fire Department presented officials with preliminary designs during a work session meeting on Nov. 3.
The designs, composed by local architectural firm Allen & Hoshall, were created to be functional while capturing the essence of the old firehall and fitting into the town’s aesthetic.
“In a new building, you don’t want to replicate [the old one] completely, but you want it to capture some of that design,” said Fire Chief Eric Mitchell, who toured the architect around the mountain to give him a feel for its design style.
The new station, slated to be just under 12,000 square feet, is certainly not a replication. It will include additional amenities for staff, such as a larger training room, and women’s restrooms and shower facilities to accommodate female firefighters.
“[Firefighters] spend a third of their life in this building,” Mitchell said. “They spend almost as much time in this building as they do at home so you have to make it livable.”