SALISBURY, N.C. — On Oct. 15, Salisbury Fire Department staff and community members gathered to celebrate the station’s completion and officially “break the hose.”
Located at 150 Mahaley Avenue, about a quarter-mile from the former Station Three on West Innes Street, the new facility replaced the 1956 building, which saw only minimal updates, the Salisbury Post reported. As the city’s smallest and oldest station, the old site gave way to a modern headquarters that expanded the department’s coverage area and upgraded emergency response technology.
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The new $9 million firehouse features three double bays and will house both an engine and a ladder company, with room to expand. Five emergency response operations will be based at the facility, which is currently phasing in staff. All offices are expected to be fully operational by January 2026.
The station is larger than a typical fire station because it’s built to host five functions, including Salisbury’s first city emergency operations center with redundant fiber lines and backup traffic camera feeds to serve as a disaster hub. It also adds a dedicated emergency response officer and doubles as the city’s fire safety education center, featuring a learning lab for children.
The new station expands Salisbury’s coverage area despite being only about a quarter-mile from the old site. With the ladder company relocating from Station Four, the station will extend response north and west for better citywide balance. It will serve as the first responder for the VA hospital, Novant Health Rowan Medical Center, and the Livingstone and Catawba college campuses, which together house roughly 2,000 on-campus students.
