The city of Charlotte turned up the heat on adapting to the future of firefighting. City Council approved a contract for the construction of the city's first all-electric fire station — Firehouse 30 — at 3019 Beam Rd. The new three-bay, two-story firehouse will stretch more than 14,000 sqft across a three-acre site.

Hot new features
This facility will replace the firehouse at 4707 Belle-Oaks Dr., built in 1955. Key features will include:

Electric vehicle charging stations
Geothermal HVAC
Solar panels
Low-flow fixtures for water use reduction

Charlotte Fire claims their electric fire engine is innovatively engineered, and firefighters can drive and pump on electric power.
| Photo via Charlotte Fire

Fight fire with eco-power
A more eco-friendly way to combat fires has been in the works for some time. In December 2022, Charlotte Fire introduced an electric fire truck to its fleet, allowing firefighters to drive and pump on electric power while reducing emissions and noise pollution. While operating like a regular truck, Charlotte Fire revealed its electric model would save 19.6 metric tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) a year.

The new firehouse and truck are part of the city’s Strategic Energy Action Plan, which strives to power its fleets with 100% zero-carbon sources.

Charlotte is one of the latest cities nationwide to introduce electricity to its fire response arsenal. Other cities with similar firetrucks include Mesa, AZ; Boulder, CO; and Chesapeake, VA.

Charlotte Fire revealed an electric fire truck has all the function and services of a traditional fire truck. | Photo via Charlotte Fire

Blazing a trail
Firehouse 30 is one of 43 fire stations under the Charlotte Fire Department, protecting more than 892,000 people across 320 square miles of Mecklenburg County with more than 1,150 personnel.

The groundbreaking is expected to begin this spring. We've reached out to Charlotte Fire for a date — at this time, the schedule is TBA.