Bowling Green Fire and Police Departments on their new training facility

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – At the old BGFD Station 5 on Porter Pike, a new joint training facility will stand in 2024.

While the Bowling Green Fire Department is looking forward to the new building, they’ll never forget station 5 that has served as the department’s training facility since the 70s. BGFD Chief Justin Brooks said there are great memories in station 5, but it’s becoming an available space issue as the department brings in bigger classes, and BGPD feels the same.

Police chief Michael Delaney said over the years, a big hinderance for recruitment has been space for new recruits to have class. Delaney said having to rent out area’s like SKyPAC or rooms at WKU was a bit of a hassle but now those days will be far behind the department as this sizeable facility goes up.

It will also serve as a hub for disaster relief operations for the community. Mulaney told News 40 when tornadoes struck the area in 2021, the police station was used as an emergency communications center but was not something that was ever intended.

When asked about how this could help both department’s in the way of team work, BGFD’s chief said “it’s an honor for them to share the streets with the police”, that them working in tandem helps to yield a greater product and that the new facility will give them more opportunities to collaborate on emergency situations.