Firefighters say every big city has one fire hall that is different from the rest. In Nashville it is station number nine downtown. Its nickname is "The Bottoms." And as Fox 17's Scott Couch shows us it is not only the busiest fire hall in town, it is one of busiest in the nation.

Nashville firefighter work 24-hour shifts and the screw at Station Nine spends most of it on the road. Whether it is responding to an apartment fire or something less dangerous these guys keep the road hot. Last year they answered 15,913 calls ranking them ninth in the nation for call volume.

“You never know, like today there’s not as many people downtown and we’ve been bust all day long,” said Nashville District Chief Buddy Byers. “We had a second alarm fire, wrecks, medic runs, grass fires. You just never know.”

Some people would steer clear of such a bust hall but most of these guys asked to be here.

"I wanted to experience it while I was young and be at a busy company and get the whole feel of what it's like to be downtown," firefighter and paramedic Ben Smith.

Being in the center of the city means opportunities for a lot of different calls including river rescues. It is Cameron White's call of choice.

"When we get somebody that's potentially going to jump off the bridge or has already jumped off the bridge search and rescue for em' or just in case they do jump we'll be there for them," added Cameron White.

About 75-percent of the calls they make at station 9 are medic calls which means this ambulance never sits still more than a few minutes at a time.

“Every ambulance in the city just runs and runs and runs,” added Scott Clinard.  “We just happened to be the busiest because we have short transport times because the hospitals are close"

The guys at Station Nice say the volume and variety of calls bond them together. District Chief Terry Seacrest spent 20 years here. Now his son carries the banner.

"Him choosing Engine 9 is one of the greatest honors to me.  It just makes me feel so good.  Only thing that truly hurts me -- that his grandfather isn't alive to see it to see he's a third generation firefighter," said Seacrest.

Those nearly 16,000 calls each year average out to over 300 per week and Nashville fire officials say the number grows every year.
Nashville's Station Nine Among Busiest in the Country