SHEPHERDSVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The Shepherdsville Fire Department is excited its new station is just a couple months away from completion.
Funding was approved last year to build the brand new Shepherdsville Fire Station 2 near the commercial warehouse district for $2.6 million. Ground work started in January, and the building and training facility are now getting the final touches.
The construction was originally anticipated to be finished in September, but crews hit a roadblock when digging into the hill on the property. The design plans needed to change in order to move the building 20 feet over for a flat foundation. The side of the building facing the hill now also acts as a retaining wall. The changes delayed the plans slightly and added onto the original budget.
Once the facility is finished and all the gear and firefighters are moved in, Chief Layne Troutman said he expects the location will respond to more than 500 calls each year.
“It provides a much better service for the community having this station here,” he said. “It puts 85-90% of the city within three miles of a fire station.”
Troutman also hopes the new facility and equipment will help improve the department’s ISO rating and, in turn, improve homeowner insurance rates.
A unique feature of the new fire station is that the budget also included building a state-of-the-art, three-story training facility at the back of the property. Until now, all firefighters in Bullitt County would have to travel to the training facilities in Jefferson County. Troutman said their facility will be open to any firefighter in the county or nearby hoping to train. It includes live burn rooms, one floor set up like a home, a section set up like a multi-floor apartment complex, a floor set up like a hotel, and the third floor is designed like a warehouse space.
It is expected all the construction will be finished for the entire complex sometime in November. And the department will host a celebration for the community once they’re moved in.
“Our personnel, they can’t wait,” Troutman said. “The ones that are coming over here, they cannot wait for this to open up. And then the entire department is excited about the training facility.”
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