TONTITOWN, Ark. — Almost a year after the Tontitown Fire Department broke ground on its brand-new fire station 5NEWS got a first look inside the new building.
Construction is still in full swing, but it’s planned to be finished by Christmas, adding more space for a growing department.
Tontitown has historically been a volunteer fire department, hiring its first full-time personnel in January 2023.
More paid personnel means more necessary space, and when you consider the small firehouse built in 1978, you'll notice that Tontitown has simply outgrown itself.
“Right now, our firefighters are literally sleeping on the floor in the living room at the old fire station. Our fire station that we operate out of right now was never built to house full-time firefighters,” Battalion Chief John Buchan said.
The city of Tontitown voted to approve a $5.3 million bond for a new fire station back in 2021, breaking ground in November 2022.
At 12,000 square feet, the new facility is almost four times the size of the old building, creating better living and working conditions and more training opportunities, including rescue simulations that can be done indoors, rain or shine.
“Never would I have thought we would get a facility like this,” Chief Buchan said.
Chief Buchan says the best part of the station is nothing new, it’s the location: down the street from the old station and even closer to Harry Sbanotto Park.
“We will be at every event we can at the park. The children will be able to be involved with the fire department, and we're going to be involved with the general public, just because we're in the center of the city,” Chief Buchan said.
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