Carson City will be unveiling the new Fire Station 55 and Emergency Operations Center (EOC) to the public next week with a ribbon cutting and open house scheduled for September 18 at 1 p.m. at 3645 Butti Way.
This $18.4 million facility represents the city’s fifth fire station and a significant investment in community safety and emergency preparedness according to Acting Fire Chief Kevin Nyberg.
“We are very excited because there hasn’t been a new station added in the city in 50 years,” Nyberg said. “We need it, and it’s a serious investment into our critical emergency infrastructure.”
The new 18,000-square-foot facility will serve multiple critical functions, including housing the new fire station, serving as a dedicated emergency operations center for the city, as well as a multi-jurisdictional command center during emergency events.
The project was designed by TSK Architects and built by Core Construction, and has gone through some revisions as construction and labor costs skyrocketed since its initial approval in 2023. While Carson City dispatch was initially intended to move to the new facility as well, they’ll remain in their current office, but a backup dispatch center will be added in case of an emergency.
Officials are currently awaiting the final certificate of occupancy, which is anticipated early next week, which will allow emergency operations to begin.
Emergency Operations Center
Deputy Emergency Manager Jon Bakkedahl said the EOC is equipped with advanced technology to help Carson City respond to a number of emergencies, including wildfires, earthquakes, extreme weather events, and other disasters.
It is designed to coordinate responses to three main types of hazards: natural disasters (such as flooding and large-scale wildfires threatening homes), human-caused events (like mass shootings), and technological disasters (such as plane crashes or damage to critical infrastructure).
“We do activate preemptively for Nevada Day as well, and we run operations out of here with all of the city departments being able to communicate,” Bakkedahl said. “Then if a resource is needed, we get that resource to them as soon as possible.”
The command center can be used a central hub for all emergency communications and meetings 
Carson City CIO Frank Abella, Acting Fire Chief Kevin Nyberg, and Deputy Emergency Manager Jon Bakkedahl pose for a photo in the conference room 
The communications conference room can be used to debrief non-emergency personnel 
Both multi-purpose rooms are outfitted with the latest in modern technology and can be set up and organized in a multitude of ways
The EOC features multiple layers of security to access internal operations and includes dedicated spaces for things like meetings, secure communications with other jurisdictions, or educational events such as tabletop exercises, where different scenarios can be run simultaneously.
It also has the capacity to facilitate communication and information sharing with state and federal entities, and can be utilized by our neighboring rural counties for their operations or media briefings during regional incidents.
“The reason we put such an emphasis on creating this space is so we can be prepared for any unknown that may be out there,” Bakkendahl said.
New Fire Station 55
The majority of the new facility is dedicated to Fire Station 55, which includes vehicle and equipment bays capable of holding up to four emergency vehicles, crew rooms, office space, a kitchen, and restrooms.
Nyberg said that six responders are expected to be on shift when it opens, including three dedicated to a ladder truck, two on an ambulance, and a battalion chief. The crews work 48-hour shifts.
According to Nyberg, a key benefit of Fire Station 55 is the expected improvement in emergency response times for residents in the eastern part of Carson City.
“Our dispatch model has been changed to incorporate this region, because we’re essentially adding a fourth response zone into our city,” Nyberg said. “The idea being that we’re splitting up responses evenly, so one firehouse isn’t being overtaxed.”
The two busiest stations currently are station 51 and 52, which operate on Stewart and Airport. Both also respond to mutual aid requests for Lyon or Washoe counties as needed.
“The flexibility of having an additional engine in town is huge for that,” Nyberg said.
The living quarters for firefighters feature individual dorm rooms, with seven rooms in total, ensuring each crew member has their own space.
The station also incorporates the latest technology for firefighter safety, which includes “heart-soft tones” and red lights to gradually wake firefighters for calls, a practice based on research to reduce cardiac issues associated with abrupt awakenings.
“The latest technology says don’t just jolt firefighters out of bed, because they end up with cardiac issues down the road,” Nyberg explained. “There’s a lot of research that’s actually gone into that.”
The kitchen is the main event of the living quarters, with three stainless steel fridges, a commercial-sized range, dining table, and island. Firefighters pay for their own meals, and the kitchen is equipped to feed a full shift of six personnel.
It also includes a living-room-style central gathering space, a fitness center, and laundry facilities among other amenities.
During past meetings, some concerns were raised during the planning phase regarding potential noise from sirens. Project managers assured that sirens are used on a case-by-case basis and that the location would be less impactful than others.
Deputy Chief Ernst emphasized the department’s commitment to being “good neighbors” by avoiding unnecessary noise and lights.
Public Open House
The community is invited to tour both the new fire station and the EOC during the open house, which will take place following the ribbon cutting scheduled for 1 p.m.
Parking will be available on the north side of Butti Way, on the west side of the new fire station, and at the Public Works employee parking lot. Refreshments will be provided by Core Construction.
If you’re interested in seeing the first new station in 50 years, be sure to come by; the EOC will be closed to the public for security reasons aside from specific planned events.
For any questions regarding the event, the public can contact Nyberg at knyberg@carson.org.
