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Study calls for 12 new fire stations in Johnston


This map shows where Johnston County has fire stations and where it could use them in the future.

 

SMITHFIELD — A growing Johnston County needs 12 new fire stations to fill gaps in coverage.

That’s the chief takeaway from a study the County commissioned to determine where Johnston needs fire stations now and in the years ahead.

“As the County continues to grow, there’s going to be a need for more fire stations,” Ryan Parker, director of Emergency Services, told County Commissioners on June 1. “What we wanted to do was to see where we could plan for those in the future.”

Not surprisingly, many of the highest-priority station needs are in the greater Clayton community. But Johnston also needs fire stations in or near Smithfield, Selma, Four Oaks, Benson and McGee’s Crossroads.

The 12 proposed stations target areas where response times fall short of County goals or where population growth has fueled  heavy call volumes.

The study identified those using what it called a “Priority Index.” Stations scored higher if they brought a large volume of historical calls into compliance with the County’s response goals. Within a town, the target response time is four minutes; in more rural Johnston, it’s eight.

“Fire is a factor of time and distance,” explained Robert Finn, a vice president with Matrix Consulting Group, which conducted the study. “You’ve got fixed facilities where the fire stations are located, and they’ve got to respond to where the emergency occurs.”

Many factors shape response time — how quickly 911 Communications alerts the nearest fire station and how fast firefighters put on their gear, for example.

“The next thing that you look at when you’re evaluating the system is how quickly can the first unit arrive on scene,” Finn said.

In Johnston, the answer to that question is not always reassuring.

“Even in the urban core, you’ve got drive times as high as 12 to 16 minutes,” Finn noted.

The study says Johnston could use those 12 fire stations now. And over the next 10 to 15 years, the County could need another 23 stations after that.

But Finn said the study was a guide, not a mandate. He explained, for example, that some planned subdivisions never get built.

“So if there was a proposed neighborhood of 10,000 homes and that doesn’t get built and it remains a field, you’re not going to need a fire station in that 10-year time frame,” Finn said. “So keep in mind that the plan is flexible.”

 

 

Fire station needs

Below are the recommendations contained in the fire station location study.

P1 stations

  1. Browns Pond Road, Selma
  2. N.C. 42 East, Clayton
  3. 1999 Amelia Church Road, Clayton
  4. Covered Bridge Road, Clayton
  5. 2166 Lee Road, Clayton
  6. Lassiter Road, Four Oaks
  7. 50 White Memorial Church Road, Angier
  8. 2596 Little Creek Church Road, Clayton
  9. 301 Dogwood Drive, Selma
  10. 1600 S. Bright Leaf Blvd., Smithfield
  11. 2079 N.C. 50 South, Benson
  12. Wolfpack Lane and East Peedin Road, Smithfield

P1, or Phase 1, stations are fire stations that Johnston County needs right away to fill gaps in coverage. They’ll go in neighborhoods where response times fall short of the County’s goals. The addresses above are often specific because the consulting firm used 911 incident logs to pinpoint where new stations would save the most lives and property. Also, while the County and its Fire Commission would decide where to build stations in rural Johnston, the towns would choose where to locate stations within their borders.

P2 stations

Based on current growth trends, the study says Johnston could need stations at the following locations over the next 10 to 15 years. Though they appear specific, the addresses are generalized planning areas, not fixed properties.

  1. 892 Earpsboro Road, Zebulon
  2. 16039 Buffalo Road, Clayton
  3. 4203 Covered Bridge Road, Clayton
  4. 3251 Peele Road, Clayton
  5. 2082 Guy Road, Clayton
  6. 2200 Old U.S. 70 West, Clayton
  7. 2043 Jack Road, Clayton
  8. Fountainhead Lane, Garner
  9. 10933 Cleveland Road, Garner
  10. Smith Road, Smithfield
  11. N.C. 50 North, Benson
  12. 26 Little Creek Church Road, Clayton
  13. 584 Glen Laurel Road, Clayton
  14. 2591 Fire Department Road, Clayton
  15. Old Beulah Road, Selma
  16. 2260 Brogden Road, Smithfield
  17. 2700 U.S. 70 Business East, Smithfield
  18. U.S. 301 South, Four Oaks
  19. 12399 N.C. 50 South, Newton Gove
  20. 3446 N.C. 242 South, Dunn
  21. U.S. 70-A, Princeton
  22. Woodard Road, Princeton
  23. Brogden Road at Progressive Church Road, Princeton

Replace, renovate, expand

Citing their age or general condition, the study says the County needs to replace the following fire stations with new buildings:

  • Blackman’s Crossroads
  • Strickland Crossroads
  • West Johnston

Also, the study recommends renovating or expanding the following fire stations:

  • 50-210.
  • Bentonville.
  • Elevation.
  • Meadow.
  • Pine Level.
  • Princeton

Finally, the study says the County should close the 50-210 Fire Station at 3715 Jackson King Road because a fire station on White Memorial Church Road would better serve the McGee’s Crossroads community.

 




Page last updated on:  July 14, 2026