The Belmont Fire Department is looking to expand for the growing city. Is a collaboration in its future?

Doug Coats
·4 min read

BELMONT, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — As a growing Gaston County city seeks a new fire station, an existing department could help it reach its needs.

The Belmont Fire Department operates two stations for a city that’s grown by 52 percent since 2010: one just south of downtown and the South Point station serving the peninsula area.

City leaders have eyed north Belmont for another public safety facility for two decades, but following an analysis from N.C. Fire Chief Consulting, a collaboration may be on the horizon for Chief Todd Davis and his staff.

Stanley names permanent fire chief following department’s staffing shakeup

At Tuesday night’s city council workshop meeting, it was unveiled that the ideal location for a future station sits adjacent to the Community Volunteer Fire Department. That station operates as a nonprofit on Perfection Avenue just outside city limits.

Would it be realistic for both stations to co-exist?

“That may be a consideration,” explained NCFCC’s Greg Grayson, a retired Greensboro fire chief himself. “Sits here an opportunity to potentially partner or work with them somehow. … This is where the modeling says Belmont would build another station.”

Grayson said that the preferred future location did not take into account land use or ownership. A different modeling scenario showed the interchange of Belmont-Mount Holly Road with I-85 as a site. N.C. Department of Transportation leaders have plans for that interchange as well as widening lanes in the future.

Not only is the northern part of Belmont seeing growth, but it’s in an area service leaders see as lacking. The study shows that Belmont firefighters can reach incidents under the desired 8-minute mark for the downtown area, Belmont Abbey College and McAdenville. But much of north Belmont is beyond that mark.

There are a higher number of firefighter incidents per square mile along the Wilkinson Blvd. commercial corridor and in the area of the Community Fire Department. (NC Fire Chief Consulting)
There are a higher number of firefighter incidents per square mile along the Wilkinson Blvd. commercial corridor and in the area of the Community Fire Department. (NC Fire Chief Consulting)
The red circle shows the ideal location for a future Belmont Fire station in north Belmont. <em>(NC Fire Chief Consulting)</em>
The red circle shows the ideal location for a future Belmont Fire station in north Belmont. (NC Fire Chief Consulting)

It’s the type of development beyond housing that impacts firefighting resources, however. The location of Belmont Abbey College, plus the future CaroMont Health hospital and industrial sites along Woodlawn Street put the area in a “high” category for Land Use Risk. Only the area surrounding Duke Energy’s Allen Plant Steam Station rank higher in Belmont.

Further, the highest number of incidents occur along the Interstate 85 and Wilkinson Boulevard corridors, with a pocket near the Community VFD station also exhibiting higher rates than most of the city.

Mayor Richard Turner is on board with a partnership. It would involve Gaston County approval.

“Community would be an optimal location for us in lieu of building a new fire station,” he said.

Chief Davis told Queen City News the study was merely “a fact-finding mission” to determine the need for a new facility to maintain infrastructure for current and future growth. Serving a city of more than 15,000, his department employs 30 full-time employees, which includes firefighters; four part-time firefighters; and five part-time fire inspectors.

Turner noted how the Vulnerability Risk Index, which measures the adequacy of fire stations, is already higher in downtown and to the north versus the peninsula area.

Grayson explained that the high risk for incidents along the highways combined with a lower population leads to higher VRIs.

‘It’s our money!’ Taxpayers upset with Gastonia’s $500K approval for bankrupt ball club legal fees

Grayson said a partnership could take many forms. A statewide trend of a decrease in volunteer firefighters is one of them, which has led to other partnerships. The cost of operating a station has risen significantly, from hikes in wages to equipment.

The study indicates that the Community Fire Department has one of the lower levels of performance among neighboring fire stations. Its 11-minute 90th percentile response time is three minutes slower than Belmont’s.

This chart shows how Belmont stacks up to neighboring fire departments, including Community in north Belmont.
This chart shows how Belmont stacks up to neighboring fire departments, including Community in north Belmont.

“A collaborative effort between the City of Belmont, Gaston County Government and the Community Fire Department could produce a “win-win” arrangement for all parties,” the analysis reads.

Danish telecommunications company bringing jobs to Gaston County

City Council took no official action on the presentation. Grayson posed the following questions for city leaders:

“How could we be stronger or sustainable? Is this facility adequate or not? There are a lot of pieces to that. There is a need for this location, and there happens to be an existing fire station. It’s all a give-and-take situation.”

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Queen City News.