Command staff from the Bloomington Fire Department on East Fourth Street is temporarily moving to the former law offices of Bunger and Robertson a few blocks west due to flood damage.
The city acquired the property in 2019 for the convention center expansion project.
In a news release Thursday, officials said they hope to install showers, kitchen furnishings, and vehicle bays so firefighters can move over as well.
Chief Jason Moore says the idea to move into the vacant building came up Wednesday.
“We toured it and determined that it would be suitable for our short-term needs as we continue to assess and address the damage to our headquarters. We are very pleased to be able to accelerate our return to downtown with this move,” Moore said.
Staff began moving Thursday and will operate from the new location after information technology systems are operational.
READ MORE: Here's What To Do If You Were Affected By Last Week's Flooding
The flash floods late Friday and early Saturday caused damage to the Bloomington Police Dept. building too, the city reported Wednesday.
The city said normal operations were mostly continuing at the police building on Third Street but the nearby fire station was offline.
A statement said that “flooding that filled the entire basement and part of the first floor degraded the (fire) building’s communication system and electrical system, including controls for the back-up generator for the facility, making the structure uninhabitable.”
It said the fire station building would not be habitable “for some time.”
