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Photos by Savannah Schmidt.
Mountain Brook’s new fire Station No. 2 under construction and nearing completion on Feb. 12.
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Photos by Savannah Schmidt.
Mountain Brook’s new fire Station No. 2 under construction and nearing completion on Feb. 12.
Mountain Brook’s new fire station represents a significant step toward enhancing safety not just for the community but also for firefighters and first responders.
Construction on Fire Station No. 2, located at 3100 Overton Road, began May 7, 2024, and is expected to be completed by April or May. The state-of-the-art facility incorporates advanced industry updates, particularly featuring designs to reduce cancer risks among firefighters.
“In the last few years, especially probably in the last 10 years, there's been so many studies on fire service, as far as cancer in the fire service, the causes and things like that,” Mountain Brook Fire Chief Chris Mullins said. “We've learned a lot about things that cause cancer. And so we've looked at the way fire stations were designed and tried to put some measures in place that would help with cancer prevention for firefighters.”
Before construction began, Barrett Architecture Studio sent its lead architects, along with Mullins and Battalion Chief and Training/Safety Officer David Kennedy, to a fire station design conference in Illinois. The conference featured presentations on new technology and current industry design standards from manufacturers and contractors nationwide.
“A lot of architectural firms come in, and they use these studies that they've done to design fire stations to make them safer for firefighters,” Mullins said. “We learned a lot through that, as far as having a cold zone, a warm zone and a hot zone, separating anything that produces carcinogens, fumes and exhaust and things like that — even our gear, our equipment, things like that — separating that from the living area.”
The new station’s design separates potentially hazardous materials from living areas. On the left side of the building — the “dirty” side — equipment used in firefighting operations will be housed. This area will also include a sauna, showers and a self-contained workout room with its own air system.
At the conference, attendees learned that studies show when firefighters respond to a fire, their body temperature rises, causing their pores to open and absorb harmful materials. The new station’s sauna will help firefighters sweat out toxins, followed by an immediate shower to further reduce exposure.
The center of the building, the bay, will hold trucks and equipment. On the right side — the “clean” side — are the living quarters. The bay has its own dedicated air purification system to prevent carcinogens from entering the space, and the living space also has a separate HVAC system.
In addition to its health benefits, the new station is located in a safer area than the previous one at the corner of Locksley Drive and Overton Road. The new site allows for easier and safer exits during emergencies while minimizing traffic disruption.
The old station, built in 1964, has served the city well for 61 years. However, Mullins said it is no longer adequate for the department’s needs. The new station, which cost more than $11 million to complete, is expected to serve Mountain Brook for at least 50 years.
