Seymour Fire Crews Eye Thanksgiving Move Into $3M Chapman Highway Station

Seymour Volunteer Fire Department leaders walked through their nearly finished Central Station No. 1 this week, and the all-volunteer agency says it is on track to move crews into the 10320 Chapman Highway facility just before Thanksgiving 2026. The building will include sleeping quarters, three drive-through bays, a dedicated training area, administrative offices, and a day room with a fitness and recovery space for firefighters.

Representatives from Horner Construction joined the walkthrough as work nears completion, according to The Knoxville Focus. The department broke ground on the roughly $3 million project on August 8, 2025, and local officials from Sevier, Knox, and Blount counties turned out for that launch ceremony, per WBIR. WBIR reported at the time that the residential design, with its sleeping quarters and showers, is meant to help the volunteer department shift toward 24-hour active staffing over the following one to two years.

A Growing Call Volume Across Three Counties

The new station sits at the center of a demanding service area. SVFD covers 118.6 square miles and more than 19,000 households spread across Sevier, Knox, and Blount counties, according to Knox TN Today. That tri-county footprint is currently served by six stations — two in Knox County, one in Blount County, and three in Sevier County — and the same report notes the new Central Station No. 1 is designed to centralize the department's administrative and training operations.

The demand behind that expansion is substantial. Financial records reviewed by Candid show SVFD responded to 3,120 emergency calls in 2025, including 271 structure, vehicle, or vegetation fires and 1,611 emergency medical calls, meaning medical responses accounted for more than half of all dispatches. Chapman Highway has already seen the department's growth once before: The Knoxville Focus reported that SVFD dedicated Station No. 2 at 7915 Chapman Highway in September 2020, an earlier facility also built with living quarters for volunteer responders.

Funding the Build Without Tax Dollars or Subscriptions

Unlike municipal departments funded through tax revenue, SVFD does not operate solely through tax dollars and does not run under a subscription service. Instead, the agency depends on the backing and generosity of businesses, residents, and community partners, and it is now asking for additional fundraising to reduce construction debt and fully furnish the new station. According to the department's own website, SVFD operates as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that suggests voluntary annual contributions of $0.15 per square foot or $20 a month rather than charging mandatory fees.

Two upcoming events are meant to help close that gap. The 3rd Annual Sporting Clay Event is set for October 9, 2026, honoring Dave Foulk, described as a longtime supporter of the department. The department's Annual Gala follows on April 24, 2027, featuring a plated dinner, an auction, and live entertainment from Chris Blue. SVFD is encouraging the community to attend both events and partner with the department, and can be reached at 865-851-1157 or through its website.

Leadership Transition Amid the Capital Push

The station's progress has been shepherded through a major leadership change. Retired Chief John “Bulldog” Linsenbigler, who provided public updates on the construction throughout the project, officially stepped down from leadership on April 1, 2026, after 30 years with the department and 44 years total in fire service, as reported by Knox TN Today. Linsenbigler served as chief for seven years and remains a volunteer firefighter, continuing to advocate for the capital campaign even after handing off command. Hoodline covered the search for his successor ahead of his retirement.

State lawmakers have also taken note of his tenure. The Tennessee General Assembly introduced House Joint Resolution 937 in 2026 to formally honor Linsenbigler's decades of fire service leadership, with state representatives from across the tri-county region sponsoring the measure. The recognition arrives as the department he led for years works to finish a facility built to keep pace with a coverage area that regularly puts volunteers in difficult terrain, including the steep-slope wildfire response Hoodline documented along Creswell Ridge in December 2024.

For now, SVFD's fundraising ask is straightforward: community support to complete a station its own leaders say is essential to faster, better-staffed emergency response across Sevier, Knox, and Blount counties. With Thanksgiving 2026 set as the target for opening the doors, the sporting clay event and gala represent the department's two biggest chances to close the remaining funding gap before crews move in.