It has been a long time coming. When the town finally cuts the ribbon and opens the door to a brand-new fire headquarters at 10 Prospect Street, it will mark the culmination of several years of planning; unforeseen delays because of COVID; and most of all, the combined efforts and support of town officials and residents to build just the third fire station in 100-plus years. 

“I mean, it’s going to be amazing,” longtime Fire Chief Stephen Coleman said during a recent walkthrough at the construction site.

The new station, expected to be completed in December 2027, will become the headquarters, which is currently situated at 47 Auburn Street, near the Auburn Mall. That building will stay in play as Station 2. 

The new, $31-million, two-story, 27,000 square-foot headquarters will replace the current Station 2 on West Street, although the fire training facility will remain. 

Among the features at the town’s new crown jewel fire station will be a fitness center; training classroom that will accommodate 75 people; new Emergency Operations Center (EOC); EOC conference room; administrative offices; five, double-deep bays for fire apparatus; a self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) compressor room, storage mezzanine; double-deep mechanics shop for the department’s two full-time mechanics; and a carport for fire administrators and staff. 

Oh, and given that the new building is being built on the site of a former town staple, Chuck’s Steakhouse, Coleman said they are looking at how to feature one of the 4-feet-by-8-feet signs from the old restaurant as “a nod within the station.”

Health and safety were a major focus during planning, Coleman said, noting cross-contamination is a big concern at the West Street Station, which, to be fair, isn’t so much a fire station as it is a converted elementary school. The only renovations to that building, in fact, were three garage doors installed in front of the old cafeteria.

“It was never designed to be a fire station in the first place,” Coleman said. 

At West Street, when crews return from a call, they walk through the kitchen to get to laundry facilities, meaning the risk of contamination is high.

He recounted a call to a property infested with bed bugs. 

“Crews left with bed bugs all over them,” the chief said. “Members had to basically strip down to their underwear on the apparatus floor, bag everything up, and walk through the kitchen. There was no proper place to bring contaminated and hazardous material back to the building.”

The new building will, of course, feature separate cold (clean/living area), warm (transition/decontamination area) and hot (high contamination area) zones.

“It’s huge,” said Nick Fairbanks, a full-time firefighter who first joined AFD as a call firefighter in 2015. Now president of the local union that represents the Auburn firefighters, International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) Auburn MA Permanent Firefighters Local 4157, Fairbanks said, “We can all breathe easier. The chief always had our backs on that.”

Coleman, Fairbanks, and Deputy Chief Glenn Johnson all referenced the department’s efforts in dealing with so-called “forever chemicals” such as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS. 

“I think we’re one of the only departments where, early on, we had two sets of gear,” Fairbanks said.

Coleman said all new equipment the department purchases is PFAS-rated.

The new headquarters, he said, was designed with an emphasis on the health and safety of firefighters. 

It will also be prepared to embrace current and future technologies. 

For example, Johnson said, the new station will be outfitted with a drone launch on the roof, which he and Coleman said will give first responders an advantage when rolling out on an emergency call.

“From a 911 call, they can launch the drone right to the call,” Johnson said. “It gives you eyes on the scene. You know what you’re going into. Depending on the drone, it also has the capability to drop different things on the scene ahead of time.”

It is, he continued, fairly newer technology, adding Auburn would be one of the first departments in the area to utilize it. 

The new station will also be outfitted to accommodate electric fire vehicles, said Coleman, noting the department currently does not have any electric apparatus. 

Coleman, Johnson, and Fairbanks all made a point to recognize Auburn residents for their overwhelming support of the project as well as the different town administrations, currently led by Town Manager Dori Vecchio. 

“We’re very excited and enthusiastic for what’s to come,” Fairbanks said. “We’re grateful for the townspeople for supporting us and everybody at town hall. We’re excited to move in.”

Johnson, too, gave a nod to the progress made, which he credited to the synergy between all involved, including Castagna Construction, whose bid came in more than $3 million under the total project budget; Owner’s Project Management (OPM) LeftField; and Tecton Architects. 

“Everybody works well together,” Johnson said. “Everybody is focused on providing a really nice fire station. It’s great to see.”

Said Coleman: “We are running a modern-day fire rescue agency. We’re doing a lot of things right. A lot of other fire departments look at us to see what we’re doing. To be able to have a facility that matches the level of service we provide and the technology we’re using, is a great feeling.”

More information about the project is available at www.auburnma.gov on the Fire Station Building Committee page. W