Bentley’s Listening Tour: KFD
Published July 14, 2023; 10:42p.m.

Engine 20, West Hills Fire Station #20 July 9, 2023; submitted

KNOXVILLE - Since June 9th, with his first visit to Firehouse 20, Bentley Marlow has visited all 19 fire houses in the City of Knoxville. This included station 6 that is currently closed due to structural failures with no clear timeline for repair. "The dedication and commitment to service from the professional firefighters representing the largest fire department in East Tennessee blows me away," said Marlow.

I listened to dozens of hardworking men and women of the Knoxville Fire Department voicing their concerns about everything from ongoing staffing shortages and mandatory overtime, difficulties recruiting new firefighters, to the challenges of effectively servicing the city’s western annexes and the need for additional fire stations.

We can do better, we must do better, the residents of Knoxville deserve better.

If elected this fall, as part of his commitment to address the infrastructure needs of this city, beginning with our ongoing housing crisis through changes in zoning, Marlow says he will prioritize the needs of our first responders, because the services they provide us are literally life or death.

"For the rest of my campaign, I will be listening to the dedicated men and women of Knoxville’s Public Services as I continue to learn about our infrastructure needs," said Marlow.

"I want to thank the men and women of the Knoxville Fire Department for their time, their invaluable insights, and their service."