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Fire stations of the world: Memphis Fire Department unveils new state-of-the-art headquarters, US
The Memphis Fire Department in Tennessee in the US, unveiled its new Headquarters Monday, 31 January 2022. Memphis Fire Chief Gina Sweat and Mayor Jim Strickland cut the ribbon during the opening ceremony. The state-of-the-art headquarters is located at 2670 Avery Avenue, just south of Union near Flicker Street, Memphis. It will help provide more coverage into the Medical District, including an additional engine and was built with response time at the top of mind. Fleming Architecture designed Station 5 with the mission to create a station that provides a comfortable workspace and living quarters for first responders while embracing the rich history of the Memphis Fire Department. Zellner Construction built Station 5 with elements resembling the original Fire Headquarters Station #5 and Fire Station #1, which is now part of the Fire Museum of Memphis.
Station 5 consists of a two-storey, 12 000 SF brick veneer building to house the City of Memphis Fire Station #5. The fire station includes two apparatus bays, 10 sleeping bunks, a full-service kitchen, day room, watch desk, fitness room, conference room and an apparatus bay for fire trucks. The resulting project is Victorian Style Fire Station that fits within the Historic Victorian community. It was important that this project blended with the historical neighbourhood aesthetic while also providing visual interest and addressing the programmatic needs of a community fire station. The building is primarily constructed of concrete block, brick exterior, metal decking and modified bitumen membrane roof. The Fire Department's mission is to prevent the loss of life and property. In addition to responding to fires, the City of Memphis Division of Fire Station 5 also responds to medical emergencies, motor vehicle accidents, rescue calls and incidents involving hazardous materials. This fire station will add to the already overlapping coverage for the Medical District, Downtown and Uptown areas. So this will provide them a little bit better coverage into that area as the Medical District and that area starts to grow,” said MFD Chief Gina Sweat. “It also gives us an additional engine closer to those locations it’s built in mind with response to make sure we can respond to all the areas we need to downtown.” Memphis Fire Fun Fact: Engine 5 was added to service in 1888 and ran out of the Chemical Engine House located at Front and Monroe. That same year they started building the first Fire Headquarters at 65 S Front Street When Fire Headquarters was completed in 1890, this big fire station had room for Engine 5, Insurance Patrol, Hook and Ladder 1, the Fire Alarm Office and the Fire Chief’s living quarters. In 1966, the original Fire Station 5/Headquarters was closed for demolition and after the new construction was complete reopened in 1968. Sources: Aaron Patrick Architects, Fleming Architecture, Zellner Construction, Daily Dispatch |
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