Salem’s new, 21,777-square-foot fire station built for the future
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- From left, Salem Mayor Kurt Christensen, Police Chief Brad James, Fire Chief Chris Wright, City Planner Lisa Webster and Assistant Fire Chief Greg Miller pose in front of Salem’s new fire station Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
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- The interior of Salem’s new fire station is pictured Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
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- The exterior of Salem’s new fire station is pictured Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
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- An equipment room at the new Salem Fire and EMS Station is pictured Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
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- The kitchen at the new Salem Fire and EMS Station is pictured Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
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- The conference room at the new Salem Fire and EMS Station is pictured Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
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- The interior of the new Salem Fire and EMS Station is pictured Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Salem Mayor Kurt Christensen called his city’s new fire station the best in the state — and he said it with his chest.
The new, 21,777-square-foot station located on the north part of town was built not just to serve Salem’s current population of just over 10,000 people with its small army of volunteer firefighters but to cater to a future fully-staffed fire crew that can meet the needs of a city that, according to some projections, will be at 50,000 people in 15 years.
“They predict we’ll be Lehi in 15 years. … So it’s all about making things work,” Christensen said. “So this was the best choice, and then it’s centrally located, so we can get to the fire. It helps the citizens the best.”
Built with that growth in mind, a defining feature of the building is space. The station is a stark contrast to the previous one located at city offices, where city administrators, the police department and fire department were under the same roof.
The new campus includes a massive garage that can fit its two Type 1 structural engines, two Type 6 brush trucks, one Type 3 brush truck and two ambulances with plenty of room to spare. The department has the future option to add a ladder fire truck, Fire Chief Chris Wright said.
There is living space built out to accommodate a future full-time crew to live while on the job, which includes private rooms, a weight room, a heated courtyard to have barbecues and a large kitchen.
A large conference room is fit to hold staff meetings, and an area above the garage will play host to training exercises.
“The whole design of it is built with the purpose of making sure that all functions of the fire and EMS department are able to be accomplished without any problems,” Assistant Chief Greg Miller said. “And it is truly designed and set up to where that can happen without any issues, to where we can take small incidents and go to large-scale incidents and still have all the resources necessary to accomplish tasks.”
The design of the building is also unique. City Planner Lisa Webster, who was the project manager, said she wanted an industrial yet warm feel to the building. The result is cabin-esque wooden beams arching over the garage with gray and silver-colored walls.
“We wanted to make a statement and to elevate Salem,” Webster said. “The City Council played a big role in input on the design, and the architect was awesome in incorporating that vision there.”
Public Safety Director and Police Chief Brad James believes the station is a critical addition to the city.
“It’s vital,” he said. “And the reason it’s vital is we need to take care of our citizens that are here today, and also take care of our citizens that are going to be here in the near future. And obviously we are going to grow, going to grow a lot, so we’ve designed that building to accommodate.”
Salem will host an open house for the fire station April 26 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. with a ribbon cutting ceremony at 10 a.m.
