Bridgewater firefighters line up to sign the final beam before it was put into place during a topping-off ceremony on Wednesday, marking a milestone in the construction of a new Bridgewater Fire Headquarters at 1185 Pleasant St. (Photo courtesy Bridgewater Community & Economic Development Department)
BRIDGEWATER — Fire Chief John Schlatz and the Fire Station Building Committee are pleased to report a major milestone in the construction of the town’s new fire headquarters, with a topping-off ceremony held on Wednesday morning to celebrate the placement the 1185 Pleasant St. building frame’s final metal beam.
The ceremony was held about five months after the project’s June groundbreaking. The project has been funded through a $23 million debt exclusion approved at the 2022 Annual Town Meeting, with $2 million for improvements at another Bridgewater Fire Department facility.
This construction project has been in the works since 2019 when the Fire Station Building Committee first convened to review conditions at the existing Bridgewater Fire Headquarters, which has stood since the late 1850s. The committee determined that it would be best to replace it with a modern, energy-efficient facility with more space for firefighters, vehicles, and equipment.
The new fire station is a 24,523-square-foot building, while the old headquarters at 22 School St. contains only 8,267 square feet of space.
“We currently have 55 personnel, and the new station will have room for future expansion and growth,” Chief Schlatz said. “The location of the new station is approximately 2.7 miles from the existing headquarters, and it provides better, more accessible fire and EMS coverage for the western area of Bridgewater.”
Construction on the new Bridgewater Fire Department headquarters is expected to be completed between December 2025 and February 2026.
The new two-story fire station was designed by Jacunski Humes Architects LLC, and construction is being done by M. O’Connor Contracting Inc., based in West Roxbury. The owner’s project manager is Albany, New York-based CHA Consulting Inc.
Other upgrades at the new fire headquarters include larger first-floor locker room facilities with space for extra gear. The new headquarters will also feature a conference room and a classroom that will allow the department to conduct more on-site training sessions. The classroom will also double as an Emergency Operations Center in case of a major emergency or crisis.
The upper floor of the building contains modern living facilities with private sleeping areas for on-duty firefighters, additional lockers for firefighters’ personal items, a kitchen, a dining area, a day room, and a dedicated physical training room.
The new headquarters will also feature apparatus bays with entrances wide and tall enough to accommodate larger vehicles, including a tower truck and airboat, which is not possible at the current 22 School St. headquarters.
Updates as the project progresses will be available on the official project news blog website here, and the Bridgewater Fire Department website here.
“We look forward to continuing our service to the people of Bridgewater and keeping them safe based out of our new, upgraded headquarters,” Chief Schlatz said.
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Bridgewater firefighters and members of the Fire Station Building Committee gathered on Wednesday to celebrate a topping-off ceremony, marking a milestone in the construction of a new Bridgewater Fire Headquarters at 1185 Pleasant St. Construction is expected to be completed in late 2025 or early 2026. (Photo courtesy Bridgewater Fire Department)
Bridgewater firefighters and members of the Fire Station Building Committee gathered on Wednesday to celebrate a topping-off ceremony, marking a milestone in the construction of a new Bridgewater Fire Headquarters at 1185 Pleasant St. Construction is expected to be completed in late 2025 or early 2026. (Photo courtesy Bridgewater Community & Economic Development Department)