Where once stood the original Fire Station 7 built in 1958, the ribbon was cut for a brand new one at 2129 E. Sunshine St. on Tuesday afternoon.
Fire Station 7 located on the border of the Brentwood and Oak Grove neighborhoods is home to three shifts, each usually staffed with three firefighters. Springfield Fire Chief David Pennington said the rebuilding of the fire station cost roughly $4.2 million and was covered by the Level Property Tax that was renewed by voters in 2017. The almost 70-year-old station was demolished March 2023 with the firefighters moving into Fire Station 3 while work was completed on the new station.
The tax, which generates about $8.5 million a year, has also funded a renovated Fire Station 10, a rebuilt Fire Station 4 and a brand-new Fire Station 13 in the West Central neighborhood.
Features of the new Station 7
Fire Station 7 is complete with a large kitchen that has three fridges, one for each shift, and living room area, gym, showers and shared bedrooms. The station also includes a mother's room with a mini fridge to accommodate more women joining SFD.
The new station has a large emphasis on safety measures like a decontamination shower, specialized laundry machines and dryers for uniforms and corridors separating the living area from the work area. 7C Captain Brad Jones said the laundry machines are specialized to decontaminate gear and can wash two sets of uniforms at once. The special laundry room also includes a large industrial hang dryer.
"They found out that a lot of cancers are coming from the stuff that's on you, so we put these in all our stations," Jones said of the washing machines. "These are lifesavers."
Jones also noted that the locker room where firefighter gear is stored allows for better air flow.
While the firehouse shifts tend to include four people per shift, Jones said due to staffing they typically run with three per shift.
New station, same quirky traditions
While the new Fire Station 7 may include a brand new gym and kitchen table, as the Station 7 firefighters moved back in a few months ago, they brought with them a sense of tradition and community.
In the living room, various art pieces from older firehouses hang on the walls, end tables by the lounge chairs were found at antique stores and old fire equipment from a former SFD firefighter is used as decor. But some quirkier design choices are also part of the new firehouse's homey feel — a 10-year-old ice-cream sandwich on a plate framed and hanging on the wall by the fridges.
Jones said that in 2014 someone had found the sandwich and were curious about why it had not melted. Putting it on the plate, dating it "June 2014," the sandwich stuck around and 10 years later is still at the station. As the firefighters moved back to their home station, they started another one of these "experiments" with a 2024 ice-cream sandwich.
The firefighters have more than just the ice-cream sandwich to make the new firehouse a firehome and instill the familiarity from the 1958 firehouse as a baby doll, whose origins are still unknown, hangs out in the living room and a stuffed rattlesnake with toothpicks for fangs is yet to make it out of a box.
"We're big on tradition," Jones said. "All that old stuff — we held on to things."
As the city continues to grow, SFD looks to expanding their reach by opening new firehouses and hiring more firefighters. A new Fire Station 14 is planned at the northeast corner of West Chestnut Expressway and North Duke Avenue with construction expected to be part of a 2026 bond package also made possible by the Level Property Tax.
At a Citizens' Commission on Community Investment meeting in May, Pennington noted that roughly five more stations are needed in Springfield, with funding identified for only Station 14.
Marta Mieze covers local government at the News-Leader. Have feedback, tips or story ideas? Contact her at mmieze@news-leader.com.
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