Assistant Chief Kevin Kerley (left) and Chief Brian Bennett stand next to the trucks in the bay.
Over the next two years, the Granite Falls Fire Department is going to see nearly a complete overhaul, and as of now, not a dime of local match dollars will be required, according to Fire Chief Brian Bennett.
The ladder truck currently at the station is 34-years-old, and only reaches a height of 75 feet, compared to the new ladder truck that will reach 100 feet.
In late September, the fire department finalized the purchase of two new fire trucks, signed the contract for design and construction of a second fire station on the other side of the town, and started an evaluation to determine whether renovations to the old fire station on Main Street or a complete rebuild from the ground up is the best route to take.
The new fire trucks, one engine and one platform, will replace two apparatuses with more than three decades of use under their belt — a 1992 ladder truck that the department purchased in 2008 and a 1985 Volvo/White pumper-tanker they’ve already taken out of service, said Bennett.
The engine will be available around late June 2027 and the ladder truck around early September.
Granite Falls received a $3.65 million grant from the N.C. Department of Commerce’s Rural Economic Development Division to pay for the trucks — just under $1.08 million for the engine and about $2.24 million for the ladder. It allocated the remaining $331,872 to equipment purchases such as tools, hoses, and other necessities.
THE CURRENT FIRE STATION
Built in 1967, the station on Main Street just isn’t big enough for the space and services the department now provides, according to the chief.
“Fire trucks in 1967 were a lot smaller,” Bennett said. “They didn’t carry as much water, didn’t have as much equipment. The town didn’t service the same back then. Back then, we only ran fire calls. We didn’t run medical, we didn’t run rescue. We’ve taken on more responsibilities over the years, which makes the trucks bigger and we have to haul more equipment.”
Stepping into the bays of the current station, the apparatuses are like sardines, with only a few feet in between them, and little to no room for larger vehicles.
The space in the bays between trucks is tight, with enough room to back them in bumper to bumper and carry equipment through.
Furthermore, when the planned expansion of U.S. 321A finishes, it will eat into the fire station’s property, limiting turn radius and making it nearly impossible for the tail swing on the new ladder truck to miss the building.
As of now, the evaluation of the current station is still early in the process, and D.R. Reynolds Company, Inc., has not suggested a timeline, definitive courses of action, or costs. D.R. Reynolds is also designing and building the new station across town.
THE NEW STATION
In late September, the town approved a $255,000 design-build contract with D.R. Reynolds Company, Inc., for the new station on New Farm Road, and the chief expects to break ground around March 2027.
The current fire station on Main Street is about 5,060 square feet, about half of the planned second station that D.R. Reyonlds Company, Inc., is designing across town at 9,000 to 10,000 square feet.
The total cost for the entire project should fall just under $5 million — the amount of money the town received in the State Capital Infrastructure Fund grant covering the project.
“It’ll be a 12-month build,” said Bennett, explaining that a year after D.R. Reynolds breaks ground, the new station should be up and operational. “They have built — I don’t even remember how many stations — it’s a ton, and they’ve got it down to an art, so we’re pretty excited about that.”
According to Town Manager Daniel Cobb, putting the fire station at that location will help cut response times to calls on River Bend Drive and at Merchants Distributors, Inc. (MDI), which the town’s fire station serves.
The southern side of Granite Falls is also the area projected to grow as people move into the town.
The new 9,000- to 10,000-square-foot station will be nearly double the size of the current 5,065-square-foot station, with three drive-through apparatus bays, individual sleeping quarters, administrative offices, a conference room, a secure public lobby, a fitness room, and dedicated storage areas.
Once the new station is constructed, the department will spread its resources between the two, leaving the station in town in operation.
Bennett explained that before he started any of the processes around the stations, he contacted the North Carolina Office of the State Fire Marshal to evaluate the needs of the town.
“They came in and did their study and determined that, yeah, we could absolutely use two stations due to our call volume and our response areas,” Bennett explained. “Our second station, where we bought on New Farm Road, is ideal. It’s actually almost perfect.”
