Concrete pouring underway at new Briceville Fire Department
Groundbreaking for the new Briceville Volunteer Fire Department station took place at 6 p.m. May 12 with Fire Chief Jamie Brewster, state Rep. John D. Ragan and Lt. Gov. Randy McNally present. Anderson County Mayor Terry Frank, county commissioners Shain Vowell and Tim Isabel, county Sheriff Russell Barker, and Roads Superintendent Gary Long were in attendance, along with Danny Lawson, minister of Briceville First Baptist Church, Jeremiah Wilson and others from the community. The new station will be on Briceville Highway (Tennessee 116) just south of town. (photo:EmmaGrace Bridges )
Fire Chief Jamie Brewster said last week that gravel was being spread to accommodate the concrete, and that “After the concrete is done, the contractor has said they’ll have the building done in four to eight weeks.
“We’re just really excited about it,” he said.
After a nearly three-year delay, groundbreaking for the new fire hall, at 1916 Briceville Highway (Tennessee Route 116), was held May 12, shortly after most of the elements of the steel building were delivered to the site.
Attending the event were Tennessee Lt. Gov. Randy McNally; state Rep. John Ragan; Anderson County Commissioners Tim Isbel, Shain Vowell, and Jerry Creasey; County Mayor Terry Frank; Anderson County Emergency Management Director Steve Payne; county Rescue Squad Chief Terry Allen; county EMS Director Nathan Sweet; county Sheriff Russell Barker; and officials and chiefs from nearby fire departments.
Also recognized at the groundbreaking were the principal architect, Greg Campbell, executive vice president of Design Innovation Architects Inc.; and the main contractor, Duane Braden.
The new building will replace a smaller one just east of the main Briceville intersection on Briceville Highway that has served the department for more than 42 years.
When it opens, the new fire station will include some features not present in the current station, such as air conditioning, Brewster said.
Initially, the new station will have two bays for vehicles, but there are plans to add two more later, the chief said.
It was nearly three years ago that the fire department held a ceremony in Briceville announcing plans to build the new station, using mostly a grant and loan from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, along with a contribution from Anderson County.
At that time, September 2019, construction was expected to begin within a month on the new station. But the project hit some snags, exacerbated by the COVID pandemic, supply-chain issues, and higher costs for building supplies.
The initial estimate of $184,000 to build the station rose by $75,000, and the Briceville Volunteer Fire Department had to scale down the project and come up with extra money just to limit the cost increase to the $75,000.
Additional financing has now come from the Anderson County Commission, so the project can finally begin, said Brewster.
In June 2021, several members of the Briceville VFD attended Anderson County’s Budget Committee meeting to support a request for the County Commission to help cover the extra costs.
According to the Briceville fire officials, “Not only did the Budget Committee approve the request, but there was a unanimous vote from County Commission to get this project over the finish line.”
“This assistance to the Briceville Volunteer Fire Department is an acknowledgement from all the agencies involved of the importance of all volunteer fire departments to our rural communities,” said Vowell, District 4 county commissioner, who, along with Isbel, represents the Briceville community.
The original estimated cost of the new steel building was to come from an $80,000 grant and a $74,200 40-year low-interest loan from the USDA’s Rural Development agency, along with a $30,000 contribution from Anderson County’s budget, Joe Woody, who was then area director for USDA’s Rural Development in Knoxville, said during the 2019 ceremony.
He and other USDA Rural Development representatives joined state and Anderson County officials at a park in Briceville for the 2019 announcement to recognize those responsible for helping the department secure the funding for the new station.
Leadership at the USDA has since changed. USDA Rural Development Area Specialist Kirk Morris is now seeing the project through completion.
The Briceville VFD, which has five trucks, will move into the new station when it’s completed, said Brewster, who is now in his sixth year as chief. He said the department has 14 volunteer firefighters, two junior firefighters, seven women’s auxiliary members, and a nine-member board of directors.
The department was founded in 1978. Duties include fire suppression and prevention activities, as well as handling emergency medical calls.
Brewster works full time as an equipment operator for the Tennessee Department of Transportation. He’s been a volunteer firefighter for Briceville since 2000.
Excavation work at the site was donated at no cost, Brewster said.
Donations to Briceville VFD can be sent to P.O. Box 238, Briceville, TN 37710.