Fire Department Working to Relocate Downtown

Bloomington, Ind. - Due to extensive damage caused by last weekend’s flood event, the Bloomington Fire Department (BFD) command staff formerly housed at Station 1 (located at 300 East Fourth Street) will be temporarily relocating to the former law offices of Bunger and Robertson, 226 South College Avenue. The property was acquired by the City of Bloomington through its Redevelopment Commission in 2019 in preparation for a potential Convention Center expansion project. Command staff began moving items into the property today and will be able to operate out of that space in the very near future following the coordination of information technology systems.

“Sometimes an emergency situation calls for creative problem solving, and that was certainly the case in this instance. The 226 College Avenue building was mentioned as a possible option for us yesterday, we toured it and determined that it would be suitable for our short-term needs as we continue to assess and address the damage to our headquarters. We are very pleased to be able to accelerate our return to downtown with this move,” Chief Jason Moore said.

It is hoped that, following some minor remodeling that would include the installation of additional showers, kitchen furnishings and vehicle bays, the firefighters formerly housed at Station 1 will be able to function out of the building as well. City officials are quickly assessing the options available for locating at least some fire apparatus on the site. 

“I knew our fire department had fast response times, but this quick planned return to downtown following the damage to Station 1 is remarkable. I want to thank the staff from the fire department and all the city departments who rapidly determined what it would take to make this happen and did it,” said Mayor John Hamilton. “Downtown is the heart of our city, and we’ll continue to explore, evaluate options and work to identify the most prudent path to reuniting command staff, firefighters and the equipment they use to serve this community so well.”

More information will be provided as it becomes available.