HOPKINSVILLE, KY (CHRISTIAN COUNTY NOW) – Construction crews are currently tackling an extensive renovation and expansion to transform a building on Walton Way into a modernized fire station with expansive training capabilities. The 38,000 square foot Fire Station 5 will house Fire/EMS services in a fresh space curated to support the mental and physical health of emergency crews, while accommodating local and regional training.
“So many of our stations were built in the 1960s, for vehicles of the 60s, and job requirements of the 60s. Now our vehicles are bigger, we’re carrying more equipment, and we are doing more things,” Deputy Fire Chief Bill Pyle told Christian County Now. Since the groundbreaking in November 2024, Pyle has been directly involved with day-to-day goings on at the construction site. He explained that the new state-of-the-art design will move the city into current standards and allow space for growth.
The multi-million-dollar project is being funded by the city, and marks Hopkinsville’s first new fire station in 24 years. The location of the station allows crews to increase response times to south Hopkinsville and easily access growing subdivisions and the Southpark industrial complex. While internal renovations include customizing the space to fit their needs and created large training spaces, they are fully constructing a new training tower and a three-bay apparatus station.
“A lot of departments have the training side in a separate building, but they don’t have it conjoined with the fire house,” said Payton Rogers with HFD during a tour of the construction site. “This this is really unique for this side of the country and this side of the state and region.”
Important design features
The renovation design incorporates several features that aims to support the mental and physical health of emergency crews. This includes an outdoor patio, and a large custom designed gym for group or individual training. A major difference from other stations is the creation of separate bedrooms instead of the usual dorm style sleeping arrangements.
Pyle and Rogers both recognized that the kitchen is often the heart of every fire station, which motivated a large dining room design which will house multiple pantries, fridges, and commercial cooking equipment. Adjacent to this space will be a lounge, which will feature a platform to hold multiple reclined seats on two levels, mimicking a movie theater.
“This is where all the good things happen, this is where all the good stories happen,” said Pyle, giving a tour of the kitchen and lounge. He added that his 22 years of experience as a firefighter and the collective ideas of other emergency personnel influenced the functional, homey design of the space to allow a place for crews to rest after a tough call.
Due to the high-risk firefighters face for developing cancer while on the job, they are taking certain steps to help minimize that exposure by having designated zones for equipment and gear that have been exposed to carcinogens, toxic gas, or chemicals. This includes establishing designated zones that keeps contaminated materials out of living spaces, with separate washing machines, showers, and storage. This feature puts them further in compliance with national regulations that the other older stations in the city are not currently equipped with.
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Training capabilities
On the other side of the station that is open to the public are several adjustable sized classrooms, meeting spaces, and training areas, along with a small cafeteria. While the Hopkinsville Fire Department/EMS has already been acknowledged for their groundbreaking and influential training programs, Rogers anticipates that their expanded teaching capabilities will allow them the proper space growing programs. He believes this will put the city on the map for EMS and fire training throughout the region, while helping grow local tourism as trainees visit the city.
Another new feature in the renovation includes adding in one-way mirrors into an EMS training room, so students and evaluators can observe training procedures from a distance, without interfering. There is also a designated space to accommodate ECC dispatch in the case of an outage.
Right outside, a large new training tower will soon be construction. Pyle said that with this new structure they will be able to use natural materials to create smoke and flames in a controlled setting to best reflect a real-life scenario. They will also be able to move around the walls on the interior so training exercises can properly reflect the unpredictability of entering a structure fire.
It was originally projected that the station would open in fall of 2025, and workers are continually on site move the project forward.
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