Budget committee supports new fire station in Hampshire to decrease response time

Feb. 12—Maury County County's budget committee is moving forward with the construction of a new fire station in rural Hampshire.

The committee unanimously approved a resolution awarding 906 Studio Architects, LLC with a $52,000 contract to draft the architectural plans for the new station that will allow faster responses to the community located in western Maury County.

When completed, the new station will replace Station No. 5, 4126 Hampshire Pike.

Located on a 3-acre plot of land, the new site is located just south of the intersection with Dry Fork Road near the center of the small rural community.

Preliminary plans for the facility will include a wood-framed fire house and a pre-engineered metal building to serve as a four-door bay for the operation's fire engine and resources.

The two-story firehouse will include a kitchen, training room, office, laundry room, and storage area. The building's second floor will include two bunk rooms, two baths and additional offices.

The firm previously worked with county government and volunteer fire service in drafting plans for the newly completed Station No. 12 on Carters Creek Pike near Spring Hill.

Columbia's WES Engineering will provide civil engineering services on the project.

Commissioner Sue Stephenson made a motion to support the resolution, which received a second from Matthew White. The commissioner's support is a step forward in the county commission's ongoing mission to provide better coverage to the county's rural communities.

Part of an ongoing expansion effort by the local fire department, the new station will mark the third new location for the largely volunteer department in the past five years.

In 2017, the county's building committee assigned former Commission Chairman Michael Fulbright, Mayor Charlie Norman and Fire Chief Eric Hileman to form a special initiative to search for properties to build the new station.

A retired firefighter, Norman then said the county would make sure the new station would overlap within a five mile radius with other neighboring stations to ensure that county citizens continue to see a discount on their home insurance.

In the months leading up to the August approval, a group of Maury County Commissioners continued to voice their support for the new station as the county continues to see new residential and commercial development.

Hampshire and the Carters Creek Pike area near spring hill were determined to be the two areas most in need of additional fire and emergency resources.

Approved by the Maury County Commission in August, the 7,232-square-foot fire hall now stands completed at 1180 Carters Creek Pike.

Its construction follows a three-year effort to add another location, providing shorter responses to emergencies for one of the county's fast-developing regions.

Maury County's government also welcomed Station No. 10 located on Lasea Road, a short drive from the intersection of Bear Creek Pike and Interstate-65 in 2017.

The Maury County Fire Department is a volunteer organization with about 150 to 200 volunteer firefighters.

The department operates from 12 stations scattered across Maury County's 620 square miles of land inhabited by about 100,000 people using 10 engines, five tanker trucks, five brush trucks, a mobile air unit and six support vehicles.

The volunteers cover one of the largest counties in the state.

In 2019, MCFD responded to a total of 974 calls. Of those calls, 48%, a total of 464 calls, involved rescue and medical responses. The department also responded to a total of 154 fires.

A longstanding institution with a legacy spanning more the 50 years providing protections to the people of Maury County, the department began operations as the Maury County Civil Defense in 1970, primarily conducting search and rescue operations.

In 1980, a rural fire branch of the Civil Defense was established on the heels of the purchase of firefighting equipment with a grant from the Tennessee Valley Authority.

In 2005, County Mayor Jim Bailey and his office created the Maury County Fire Department by consolidating independent departments across the county under a single board of directors.

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