Firefighter and paramedic Joe Carroll watches traffic pass on Rouse Ave. from the bumper of a fire engine at the old Fire Station 1 as the sun goes down on Sunday, August 11, 2022.
People walk past a fire engine parked in the apparatus bay of the old Fire Station 1 on the corner of Mendenhall and Rouse on Tuesday, Sept. 6, 2022.
Battalion Chief James Short cooks kebabs on a Traeger grill on the roof of the old Fire Station 1 on Wednesday, August 3, 2022.
Bozeman Fire Department recruits Matthew Legler, Cameron Berry, and Matthew Legler do pushups next to the department's 1889 Sillsby Steamer fire engine on Tuesday, Sept. 6, 2022. The historic apparatus was purchased by the fire fighters after it was displayed at the Museum of the Rockies. It is now prominently showcased in the department's new station.
Forrest Vogel, a firefighter with the Bozeman Fire Department, looks up after sliding down the fire pole at the old Fire Station 1 on Thursday, July 28, 2022.
The kitchen table at the old Fire Station 1 bears the names of firefighters who served for the Bozeman Fire Department on Thursday, July 28, 2022. The table was moved to the new station.
Firefighter Clay Thomas pours coffee for his co-workers, Dillon Smith, left, and Joe Capri, at the beginning of their 48-hour shift at the old Fire Station 1 on Wednesday, August 3, 2022.
Captain Joe Capri makes his bed at the beginning of his shift at the old Fire Station 1 on Wednesday, August 3, 2022.
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People walk past a fire engine parked in the apparatus bay of the old Fire Station 1 on the corner of Mendenhall and Rouse on Tuesday, Sept. 6, 2022.
In early September, firefighters with the Bozeman Fire Department officially transitioned into a new station at the corner of Rouse and Oak. It was a move that was long anticipated by members of the department, bittersweet though it was. The previous location was iconic and centrally located, but dated and potentially dangerous. The old station carried decades of residual memories of firefighters who served Bozeman, but also carried decades of residual carcinogens. In the kitchen, a giant table bore the signatures of firefighters who served in Bozeman since the 1990s. On the walls of the kitchen and bedrooms, the outline of the wood framing the walls was visible through the drywall as dark, vertical lines, a constant reminder of the smoke and diesel exhaust saturating the bones of the building.
The kitchen table at the old Fire Station 1 bears the names of firefighters who served for the Bozeman Fire Department on Thursday, July 28, 2022. The table was moved to the new station.
Firefighter Clay Thomas pours coffee for his co-workers, Dillon Smith, left, and Joe Capri, at the beginning of their 48-hour shift at the old Fire Station 1 on Wednesday, August 3, 2022.
Captain Joe Capri makes his bed at the beginning of his shift at the old Fire Station 1 on Wednesday, August 3, 2022.
A month before moving to the new station, Captain Josh Charles walked around, pointing out unique features of a building that is a time machine of standards in an industry that is always advancing. When Fire Station 1 was built in 1964, Bozeman was home to fewer than 15,000 people. Firefighters still used a pole to descend to their engines in an emergency, which could rattle the building and alert any firefighters who somehow slept through the alarm. Now, the new station occupies only one sprawling floor, and features interlocking rooms to prevent gear contaminated by fire from endangering firefighters.
Bozeman Fire Department recruits Matthew Legler, Cameron Berry, and Matthew Legler do pushups next to the department's 1889 Sillsby Steamer fire engine on Tuesday, Sept. 6, 2022. The historic apparatus was purchased by the fire fighters after it was displayed at the Museum of the Rockies. It is now prominently showcased in the department's new station.
Forrest Vogel, a firefighter with the Bozeman Fire Department, looks up after sliding down the fire pole at the old Fire Station 1 on Thursday, July 28, 2022.
Battalion Chief James Short cooks kebabs on a Traeger grill on the roof of the old Fire Station 1 on Wednesday, August 3, 2022.
Despite all the bells and whistles of the new station, perhaps the most noticeable difference between the old and new fire stations is the location. Several firefighters said they’d miss what they called "bumper time."
“In the evening as the sun is going down,” said Charles, “We’re done with our inspections and our duties for the day and it’s 7, 8 o’clock. The guys and gals like to sit on the bumper, and just see the community we have walking by. That’s the neat part of being downtown."
Firefighter and paramedic Joe Carroll watches traffic pass on Rouse Ave. from the bumper of a fire engine at the old Fire Station 1 as the sun goes down on Sunday, August 11, 2022.
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Samuel Wilson can be reached at swilson@dailychronicle.com or at 406-582-2603
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