Walker County is moving forward with plans for a new Fire Rescue headquarters and replacement for Fire Station 1 in Rock Spring.

The Walker County Board of Commissioners has approved a land exchange with the Walker County Development Authority that will provide property for the new public safety facilities.

Commissioners approved Resolution R-069-26 authorizing the property swap during their October 1 meeting.

The project will relocate Walker County Fire Rescue headquarters and Fire Station 1 to Rock Spring, replacing facilities that county officials say no longer adequately meet the needs of a modern full-time fire department.

The new headquarters and station are part of a larger series of improvements planned for Walker County Fire Rescue.

Walker County previously identified approximately $14.5 million in Fire Rescue improvements as part of its 2026 SPLOST program.

Those plans include new fire apparatus, construction of the new Fire Rescue headquarters and Station 1 in Rock Spring, and renovations to seven fire stations staffed by career firefighters.

Walker County Fire Chief Blake Hodge previously said many of the department’s facilities were originally constructed decades ago for volunteer fire departments and were later modified as the county added full-time personnel.

Some of those buildings now have maintenance issues and lack the space and other features needed for firefighters working extended shifts.

The county is also dealing with an aging fleet of fire apparatus.

Walker County Fire Rescue operates more than 50 vehicles, including 23 pumpers. When county officials outlined the Fire Rescue improvement program, Hodge said the majority of those pumpers had an average age of approximately 30 years.

Older fire trucks can become increasingly expensive and difficult to maintain as replacement parts become harder to obtain.

The planned investment is intended to replace aging equipment while improving working conditions at stations staffed around the clock.

Walker County operates 18 fire stations, with seven staffed by career firefighters. Career stations are located in Rock Spring, Chickamauga, Chattanooga Valley, Fairview, Villanow, South LaFayette and near Kensington. Other stations are staffed by volunteer firefighters.

The relocation will move Walker County Fire Rescue headquarters from its current location in LaFayette to Rock Spring, closer to the geographic center of the county and the U.S. Highway 27 corridor.

The project also has a connection to residents near the northern Chattooga County line. Walker County Fire Rescue Station 18 is located at Cloudland on Lookout Mountain, an area close to the Chattooga-Walker county line. The Cloudland community extends through portions of the mountain area near the Chattooga, Walker and Dade county lines.

Fire departments and other emergency agencies throughout Northwest Georgia routinely provide mutual aid across jurisdictional lines when major fires, vehicle crashes and other emergencies require additional personnel or equipment.

The approved property exchange with the Walker County Development Authority represents another step toward construction of the new Rock Spring facility. Additional details concerning the design and construction schedule are expected as the project moves forward.