Photos: Safer, roomier Tucson Fire Station 8 nears completion
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Rebecca Sasnett
Photojournalist
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Tucson's 54-year-old fire station 8 is being replaced with a new station at 1025 W. Prince Rd., using bond funds from Prop. 101.
The original station at 250 W. King Road, known as the "House of Love," was built for six firefighters in 1968 and now houses 10 firefighters. The first "station" 8 in the 1950s was a house the city leased on Stone Ave.
The new 14,000-square-foot station will have 13 private dorm rooms, an expanded equipment bay for fire vehicles, a decontamination area, isolated storage for fire gear, as well as a larger kitchen and workout room. The new station should be ready for firefighters in July, according to TFD public information officer Michael Colaianni.
The workout room and fire turnout coats and gear are in the equipment bays at the original Station 8, which allows diesel exhaust to accumulate on gear. In the new building, firefighters will have a separate workout room and a separate storage room for equipment.Â
Another upgrade of the new facility is zone dispatching. Currently, when a call comes in for any unit, an alarm goes off throughout the entire building which makes it difficult for firefighters not on the call to get sleep, Colaianni said. At the new station, alarms will be targeted to crew members being sent on the call.
With the moving of the fire station, Station 20 will be able to take some of Station 8's load which is historically one of the busiest stations.
Four other stations will be rebuilt, including stations 3, 8, 9, 10 and 14.Â
New Fire Station 8
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Joe Mesa, plumber with Comfort Systems, works inside the kitchen at the Tucson Fire Department's new Station 8, 1025 W. Prince Rd., in Tucson, Ariz. on April 5, 2022.Â
New Fire Station 8
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Turnout gear is hung next to Station 8's engine at the Tucson Fire Department Station 8, 250 W. King St., in Tucson, Ariz. on April 5, 2022.
New Fire Station 8
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Construction crew members work on the dorm rooms at the Tucson Fire Department's new Station 8, 1025 W. Prince Rd., in Tucson, Ariz. on April 5, 2022.
New Fire Station 8
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Construction crew members work inside the kitchen and dinning area at the Tucson Fire Department's new Station 8, 1025 W. Prince Rd., in Tucson, Ariz. on April 5, 2022.
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Station 8 firefighters talk while sitting around the dining table at the Tucson Fire Department Station 8, 250 W. King St., in Tucson, Ariz. on April 5, 2022. The new Station 8 will include windows to allow natural light inside to some rooms.
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A workout apparatus is placed next to Rescue 8's vehicle at the Tucson Fire Department Station 8, 250 W. King St., in Tucson, Ariz. on April 5, 2022.
New Fire Station 8
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Turnout gear and medical supplies are hung along a wall inside the bay at Tucson Fire Department Station 8, 250 W. King St., in Tucson, Ariz. on April 5, 2022.
New Fire Station 8
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A construction crew member works inside the workout room at the Tucson Fire Department's new Station 8, 1025 W. Prince Rd., in Tucson, Ariz. on April 5, 2022.
New Fire Station 8
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Construction crews work inside the 4 bays at the Tucson Fire Department's new Station 8, 1025 W. Prince Rd., in Tucson, Ariz. on April 5, 2022.
New Fire Station 8
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A construction crew member works inside the kitchen and dinning room at the Tucson Fire Department's new Station 8, 1025 W. Prince Rd., in Tucson, Ariz. on April 5, 2022.
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As seen from West Prince Rd., the entrance to the Tucson Fire Department's new Station 8, 1025 W. Prince Rd., in Tucson, Ariz. on April 5, 2022.
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Renderings of the Tucson Fire Departments new Station 8 and the "House of Love" logo are hung on a wall behind firefighters while wait for a call to come in at the Tucson Fire Department Station 8, 250 W. King St., in Tucson, Ariz. on April 5, 2022.
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The dorm rooms with curtains for doors at the Tucson Fire Department Station 8, 250 W. King St., in Tucson, Ariz. on April 5, 2022.
New Fire Station 8
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Food items and kitchen equipment cover the kitchen counters at the Tucson Fire Department Station 8, 250 W. King St., in Tucson, Ariz. on April 5, 2022.
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Brandon Farnham, electrician with Commonwealth Electric of the Midwest, works on the some electrical work for one of the dorm rooms at the Tucson Fire Department's new Station 8, 1025 W. Prince Rd., in Tucson, Ariz. on April 5, 2022.
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Papers and other construction equipment are placed in the captains room at the Tucson Fire Department's new Station 8, 1025 W. Prince Rd., in Tucson, Ariz. on April 5, 2022.
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Map of The Tucson Fire Department's new Station 8 located at 1025 W. Prince Rd. Courtesy of The Tucson Fire Department.
Tucson Fire Station 8
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Engine 8, the busiest in the state and fifth busiest in the nation, rushes out of the House of Love in 1997
Tucson Fire Station 8
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Chris Johnson (center),involved in a traffic accident, is put on a backboard by Station 8 firefighters Daren Lakosky, left, and Jon Black in 1997.
Tucson Fire Station 8
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Station 8 firefighters Ted McDonough, Daren Lakosky and Mike Morgan, prepare dinner in 1997.
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Tricia Tracy, the first woman engineer in history of the Tucson Fire Department, worked at station 8 in 1998.
Tucson Fire Station 8
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Bridget Black brought husband Jon a quart of ice cream for Valentines Day at Station 8 in 1997.
Tucson Fire Station 8
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Daren Lakosky and Captain Mark Paris of Engine 8 check out a 57-year-old man with health issues in 1997.
Tucson Fire Station 8
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Engineer Jon North negotiates a firetruck through traffic while heading to a call from Tucson Fire Department's Station No. 8 near Oracle and Prince roads in 2006. North said the worst thing for Tucson drivers to do is move left instead of right to avoid approaching emergency vehicles.
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Station 8 paramedica Joe Nilson and firefighter Billy Eyrich, left, take down the flag outside the station in 2011.
Tucson Fire Station 8
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Tucson Fire Department's Dan Dezess sorts out his clothing at midnight in his sleeping area at Station 8 in 2011.
Tucson Fire Station 8
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Tucson Fire Department firefighter Billy Eyrich heads to a call in Engine 8 in 2011.
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Engine 8 Capt. Richard Johnson fills out forms on a computer he uses for all is aspects of work in 2011.
Rebecca Sasnett
Photojournalist
