The Bloomington Fire Department re-opened Fire Station 1 Friday, more than three years after it suffered extensive damage in the June 2021 flood downtown.
It’s something Fire Chief Roger Kerr says he didn’t expect to happen.
“It's an interesting feeling, because when we left here three and a half years ago, the idea was, was not to ever come back here,” Kerr said.
But the city opted to restore the fire station on Fourth Street. The renovation project was closely tied to the Hidden River Culvert Project, which the city hopes will eliminate flooding downtown.
Along with new alarm systems, there’s a bigger kitchen to serve 12 to 15 people, a separate day room – and no basement to flood.
“The main thing will be it'll be separate individual living quarters or sleeping quarters,” Kerr said. “Before, the station just had one giant bunk room that everybody slept in. Now, everybody will have their own individual places to sleep and their own individual lockers.”
Kerr said firefighters began moving into the station Friday from their temporary home near the convention center. He said he expected Fire Station 1 to be fully operational out by Friday night.
