New St. George Fire Station 1 marks historic moment for city

St. George had a population of 28,500 in 1990, according to U.S. Census data. Four years before, the city had built Fire Station 1, an 8,500-square-foot structure off East 1000 Street that, at the time, seemed massive compared to the original station on Main Street.

In 1994, the department hired three full-time firefighters to join its full-time chief.

But the city has since exploded in growth, reaching about 108,800 residents this year. The fire department now has 80 full-time firefighters, in addition to volunteer and reserve crew members.

That means Station 1 — the department’s headquarters — needed an upgrade, St. George Fire Chief Robert Stoker said. With only two offices in the building, the training room needed to be converted into offices, and department heads would hold meetings with contractors and others at the kitchen table. Although comfortable, it was not the ideal situation for firefighters working their shifts.

At the same time, traffic in the area has become increasingly congested, causing serious problems.

“There were times when we were dispatched to an incident, and our apparatus (fire trucks) had a lot of trouble getting out on 1000 East because of the traffic,” Stoker said.

Looking to the future

Under construction for several years, the city’s new Station 1 began operations last month and will celebrate its inauguration Friday from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.

The more than 23,000-square-foot station now sits at 85 S. Flood Street, on property where a former meeting hall of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints once stood. After searching for several years for an ideal location for the new station, the department learned that the church planned to close the church and worked with church officials to acquire the property.

“We’re grateful that they were able to do it, and it’s been great; it’s going to be a great place,” Stoker said.

The original Station 1 on 1000 East was sold to Utah Tech University, which had long wanted the land. Station 2 on Main Street, the city’s first historic fire station, was sold by the city a few years ago to a company that converted it into a restaurant and brewery. The new Station 1 replaces both.

The new station also faces west, so northbound lanes on 400 East will not be blocked, the chief noted.

The station cost about $9 million to build, he said. City crews helped with aspects of the project, such as landscaping and moving an old shed from the property, saving the city money, he added.

Since the expanded space was needed due to the city’s growth, the city used impact fees to build all but 8,500 square feet of the new station. The rest was financed by capital project funds, Stoker said.

The station includes a community training room, work areas and administrative offices on the first floor, and accommodations are located upstairs.

“We want to make sure we’re spending our tax dollars very frugally and responsibly. … We don’t put a lot of extras in the resort; they’re more utilitarian and it’s really a big house with a big garage,” Stoker said.

Staff members work 48-hour shifts, then are off for 96 hours.

“So we need a place where they can come in, and it’s like a home for them,” the chief said. “It’s their home away from home. So we need places where they can get away from each other and study and that kind of thing – where our Station 1 that we were in really didn’t have any private rooms to go and study.”

Remember the history of the city

Throughout the building, firefighters and residents can remember the area’s history, with photos mounted on walls and windows and the city’s two vintage fire engines taking their own place of honor in a room the community can visit. A black and white photo shows the city’s firefighters united after World War II.

In creating the new station, the ministry put out a call to the community for historical photos they might have in stock – a call it clearly answered. Another reminder of the past, a wall was decorated with red bricks from the old church.

Stoker has worked for the city for 40 years, including 27 years as chief.

“It’s been really interesting to be a part of the growth of not only the city but the department,” he said.

In its early days, the city merged with the Bloomington neighborhood and its fire department merged with Bloomington’s. The city then had two stations; it now has nine, and another will be built in the Tonaquint neighborhood that will become Station 2. The department also plans a station in The Ledges and another for Desert Color.

At first, “it was just a reactive department,” Stoker said. But as the station grows, it focuses more on prevention.

“This station is a great example of growth,” he said.

When asked what makes St. George special, Stoker said visitors who enter the fire station often comment on both the beauty of the area and “how nice the people are.”

“Even though we’re getting bigger and bigger and more populous, we still feel like a small town. People here help each other out,” he said.