Just across the street from the aging Station 70 stands the Logan City Fire Department’s brand-new headquarters that will bear the same name.
Less than two years after breaking ground in October 2022, the new station will be fully functional in the coming weeks, according to Logan Fire Chief Nate Thompson.
Thompson recently gave Utah Public Radio a tour of the new facility, and highlighted just how much of a difference there will be between the old and new facilities.
“The old station was built in 1974," Thompson said. "They didn't really have a training room and it was such a different department then. Now we have 20 people working daily on the line, (administrative) staff includes three in the fire prevention bureau, five on the chief staff. When we have meetings we just had nowhere to really meet.”
Thompson said the new station — which was estimated to cost around $13 million — will be the epicenter of LCFD, as the department’s downtown location has consistently been the busiest of its four stations. The Station 70 location allows crews to easily respond to calls anywhere from downtown to the Logan bench and even Logan Canyon.
The first floor will house the fire engines and the department’s fire prevention bureau, which handles building inspections and ensures buildings around the city are up to fire code.
Upstairs houses administrative offices, as well as a hallway of 10 dorm-style rooms for firefighters while on duty. The floor also has a large kitchen and common area.
And yes, the building has an old-school fire pole so crews can get to their trucks at a moment’s notice.
Thompson added that the new station allows the department to grow, as the new building has the space to house two separate companies of firefighters.
“For now we just run one (company), but down the road, it's been built for hopefully the next 50 years," Thompson said. "So as Logan grows, we can grow here downtown.”
Instead of cutting a ribbon, LCFD will hold a fire hose cutting event later this month to signify the new station’s symbolic opening.
Operations will officially move into the new building sometime after that, Thompson said.
