Salina311 First Look: Fire Chief Shane Pearson Gives Inside Tour of New Fire Station 4

Salina Fire Chief Shane Pearson gave Salina311 a tour of the city’s new Fire Station 4, offering a look inside the facility that will replace a station that has served the community since 1969.

The new station moves Fire Station 4 farther east as Salina continues to develop in that direction, while also incorporating modern firefighter safety features, living spaces and equipment designed around the way the department operates today.

“Residential properties are growing to the east, and several factors played into why that location was chosen. The city is growing that direction, and the city owned that property already,” Pearson said.

The station is preparing for its official opening and dedication, with a ribbon-cutting and public event planned for the morning of Sept. 11.

Keeping Contamination Out of Living Areas

One of the most significant differences between the new station and older fire station designs is how firefighters move through the building after returning from a call.

Firefighters can encounter smoke, soot and other contaminants during emergency responses. Station 4 includes a dedicated decontamination area intended to keep contaminated gear and clothing separated from the portions of the station where firefighters eat, sleep and spend much of their 24-hour shifts.

“This is the decon shower, so none of that contaminated clothing gets inside,” Pearson said while showing Salina311 the area.

Firefighters can stage clean clothing before beginning their day so it is waiting for them when they return.

“In the mornings, they can put their clean clothes in here,” Pearson said. “So when they come back after they shower, they’ve got clothing.”

The station also includes an industrial washer specifically designed for firefighters’ turnout gear. Pearson said the machine is “big enough to do a couple of sets at a time.”

The setup creates a more deliberate separation between areas where contaminated equipment is handled and the station’s living and working spaces.

A Station Built Around 24-Hour Shifts

The tour also provided a look at what happens inside a fire station when crews are not responding to emergency calls.

A typical morning begins with firefighters preparing the station and inspecting apparatus and equipment.

Pearson described the routine as “getting the station ready, the trucks ready, checking equipment.”

Late mornings are commonly devoted to classroom work or training. Crews also have scheduled time for physical fitness, station maintenance and other responsibilities throughout the day.

Those activities take place around emergency calls, which can interrupt the schedule at any time.

Firefighters spend 24 hours at the station during a shift, making kitchens, sleeping quarters, showers and other living areas an important part of the facility.

Pearson also addressed one misconception about meals at Salina fire stations.

“There’s always been a misconception that the food was purchased by the city,” Pearson said.

It isn’t.

“We’re here for 24 hours,” he said. “They have to purchase it themselves.”

Crews commonly prepare meals together and divide the cost among those eating.

“Whoever the cook is, whatever we’re cooking, they just divide it by whatever the bill was, by how many people are eating,” Pearson said.

How a Salina Fire Station Is Staffed

Station 4 is one of four fire stations operating across Salina.

Each station has a captain responsible for the station and its assigned personnel.

“The captain just runs the station,” Pearson said. The captain is “responsible for the station and the guys that are assigned here.”

Above the individual station level, a battalion chief is responsible for operations across the city.

“There’s a battalion chief that oversees the entire city, all four stations,” Pearson said.

Personnel assignments can also change depending on their positions.

Pearson said captains and engineers typically remain assigned to their stations, while firefighters working ambulance assignments rotate more frequently.

“The firefighters and paramedics rotate on average every six months,” Pearson said.

A New Tool for Places Fire Engines Can't Reach

Salina Fire also recently added an off-road utility vehicle to its equipment.

The side-by-side gives firefighters another way to reach emergencies in areas where a conventional ambulance or fire apparatus may have difficulty traveling.

“It’s an off-road ambulance built for EMS off-road response,” Pearson said.

Potential response areas include Salina’s trail and levee systems, Indian Rock Park and golf courses.

The vehicle can also be used for standby coverage at football games and other events where moving a full-sized emergency vehicle through crowds or across terrain may be difficult.

The department placed the vehicle into service shortly before the Smoky Hill River Festival.

Salina's Fire Stations Have Changed With the City

The opening of the new Station 4 represents the latest step in a fire station system that has developed over decades.

Pearson said Station 1 opened in 1951 and underwent a two-phase remodel and addition in 2013.

Station 2 on Santa Fe was built during the 1950s and later remodeled, including the addition of two apparatus bays in the early 2000s.

The former Station 3 on Belmont opened in 1987.

The original Station 4 on Marymount opened in 1969.

More than five decades later, the new Station 4 replaces that facility while shifting operations farther east to reflect the direction of Salina’s growth.

The department has also found new uses for some equipment that has aged out of frontline service. Pearson said older apparatus, including an aerial truck and engine, have previously been donated to Salina Area Technical College for use in training programs.

Public Opening Set for Sept. 11

For firefighters, the transition to the new Station 4 means more than moving trucks and equipment into a new building.

The design changes how crews handle contaminated equipment, where they train and work, and how they live during 24-hour shifts while maintaining emergency coverage for the surrounding area.

For the public, the opportunity to see the new facility is coming soon.

The Salina Fire Department is preparing for an official opening, dedication and public event on the morning of Sept. 11.

After replacing a station that opened in 1969, the new Fire Station 4 will begin the next chapter of fire and emergency response on Salina’s east side.