Dallas Bay Volunteer Fire Department is celebrating the completion of a renovation and addition to its Station 2, located between Loftis Middle and McConnell Elementary at 1950 McConnell School Lane. A grand opening event is scheduled for Friday, Dec. 16 at 10 a.m.
In the works for about 16 months, the project included the renovation of a former police and fire command center, as well as additional property donated by the Hamilton County Department of Education, said Bob Mullin, chairman of the Dallas Bay Volunteer Fire Department’s board of directors.
“The county decided to make some investments in volunteer facilities,” said Mullin, who answered questions on behalf of the department for Chief Mark Fritts, who was assisting with firefighting efforts in Gatlinburg.
Michael Dunne, communications manager for the Hamilton County Mayor’s Office, said the county also made improvements to the facilities of the Sale Creek and Tri-Community volunteer fire departments, spending an estimated $10,765,804 on all three projects.
The Sale Creek Volunteer Fire Department, which serves about 82 square miles in northwest Hamilton County, opened its new building in July. The cost for that project, which includes a more modern training facility and expanded administrative space, was $4,659,300.
The county spent $3,064,260 on Tri-Community Volunteer Fire Department, which serves the eastern portion of the county.
“The county considers our volunteer fire departments one of Hamilton County’s greatest assets and an enormous bargain for the taxpayers,” Dunne said. “The departments have had needs for several years and we have budgeted accordingly to meet their community needs. We greatly appreciate the volunteer efforts of these dedicated community members who are our friends and neighbors.”
Station 2 is one of three operated by the Dallas Bay department, which serves about 30,000 people in 10,000 homes and businesses across 30 square miles in the communities of Hixson, Soddy-Daisy, Falling Water, Dallas Bay, Middle Valley and Lakesite.
Dunne said the county spent $3,042,244 to upgrade Station 2. Improvements include the addition of three bedrooms, which will allow about a half-dozen firefighters to live in-residence and thereby improve the department’s response times, currently an average of five minutes, said Mullin. And, the former bays were converted into a new kitchen and day room for firefighters to use.
“The response times are good now, but this will improve them,” Mullin said. “It’s a good thing for the community.”
A new bay should also improve response times by allowing the department to store and have at the ready an additional engine, tanker, and the boat it uses for water rescues and boat fires, said Mullin.
A larger training room is another important addition, as training is essential to a volunteer fire department, he added.
Mullin said each year, the department receives around 1,800 911 dispatches, 70 percent of which are medical first responses.