Since opening in mid-February, Bungalow City Firehouse 23 has enhanced fire protection and emergency medical response to areas of eastern Henrico. On Oct. 16, officials celebrated the station and its new fire engine with a grand opening and ribbon-cutting event that included a traditional fire engine push-in ceremony.
“It’s already proven its worth,” Varina District Supervisor Tyrone E. Nelson said of the 14,000-square-foot station. “It has significantly reduced the call volume for other stations in the area and eventually will be home to a second ladder truck serving eastern Henrico.”
Located at 5618 Nine Mile Road, Firehouse 23 is named after its surrounding neighborhood of modest bungalow houses dating to the 1920s. Fire Chief Jackson Baynard has called it the “community’s firehouse.”
“It’s tight-knit and resilient – a thriving community to this day,” Nelson said of Bungalow City. “So, the name has deep roots, and it’s appropriate the fire station’s title reflects the community which it serves.”
The $14.5 million station includes three drive-thru bays, individual bunk rooms, a kitchen, a fitness room and a dayroom. It’s home to an engine, medic unit and BLS (basic life support) ambulance. Henrico voters approved funding for the facility through the 2016 bond referendum.
About 86% of the county’s voters endorsed the bond issuance for fire stations and related facilities, County Manager John Vithoulkas said.
“The station reiterates the county’s commitment to safeguarding the residents and businesses of our county and ensuring that every call for help is met with promptness and professionalism – and underscore, because of this Board of Supervisors – without a bill to the resident,” he said.
