Stephen Brunson is a busy gent who truly loves and thrives on what he does seven days a week, give or take a few hours here and there. Most working people do so within the framework of the 168 hours in a week. His work week? Would you believe between 90 and 100 hours?
A workaholic, maybe? “That’s a fair assessment,” he says.
This 48-year-old is a 19-year veteran of the Knoxville Fire Department (KFD). He’s the Green Shift captain at Station 5 in Mechanicsville. This is the city’s oldest active fire station, opening on May 23, 1909, built specifically for the horse-drawn fire apparatus used 117 years ago.
“I’ve spent more hours inside this structure than any other place in my life,” Brunson says. He has worked 15 of his 19 years at Station 5 at the only address it has ever had — 419 Arthur St. This venerable 13,070-square-foot station was added to the National Register of Historic Places on Nov. 2, 1978, something many may not know.
Station 5 after its opening in 1909 with its two horse-drawn fire “engines” ready to roll with their crews
Brunson knows every nook and cranny of this gem of a haunted firehall. He knows about its legendary ghost.
“Some have said they have seen a woman walk around at times in the station. You can hear doors opening and closing at night when we’re in bed. And I mean a lot of unexplained noises at night,” Brunson says. “Strange things have happened over the years. Furniture gets moved, and it’s very noisy at night.”
Has Brunson encountered the ghost? “Nope. I’m on good terms with the ghost, so she leaves me alone.”
Around six years ago, Brunson’s captain at Station 5 was Dennis Hinkle, who today is the captain at Station 7’s Red Shift. “My old captain (Hinkle) was sitting upstairs one night and says he saw the figure of a woman walk by, right out of the corner of his eye. But I’ve never seen anything myself, just furniture that was moved around and noises and doors opening and closing.”
So, does our captain believe in ghosts? “I do believe in the supernatural in some aspect. I’ve never believed that I’m going to run into the ghost while I’m here,” he says, and adds this: “Yeah, I never discount what people say they saw. I’m just comfortable not knowing what I don’t know. The older I get, there are some things I figure out more, and other aspects of life that I realize just how little I have figured out.”
History and ghosts aside, who is this hard-working captain in our community? For starters, he is this week’s Our Town Hero!
He was born in Charleston, South Carolina, and came to Knoxville with the family when he was 10 back in 1988. Brunson played three years of varsity basketball at South-Doyle High School and graduated in 1996. The Cherokees had great teams then. “I’m 6-4, and we had four players taller than me.”
Capt. Stephen Brunson
When he’s not working, it’s family time with wife Beth, the assistant property manager at the First Horizon Bank building in downtown, and their three children. Noah is 25 and working in the Regal Cinemas corporate office. Emma, 21, is about to graduate from the University of Tennessee with a degree in English, the first in their family to earn a college degree. Sarah is finishing her sophomore year and plays basketball at – where else – South-Doyle.
Prior to his KFD career, Brunson spent 10 years in the shoe repair business as a cobbler, first at Heel Quick at West Town Hall and then with Pendergrass Family Shoe Repair. Heel Quick closed in 2003. He also worked at Home Depot and spent nine years at Bass Pro Shops in Sevierville prior to joining the fire department.
In 2003, he was at the same church as two KFD veterans – Capt. Steve Mitchell and Capt. Mike Dyke. “I’d been thinking about the KFD, and I started talking with them about their jobs, and I asked them if they liked their jobs. They both said they didn’t like their jobs. They LOVED their jobs. That got my attention. I knew then I had to find out more about the fire department.”
Later that year, he applied but was not hired until 2007. “The first time I applied and went to the interview, I was wearing a polo shirt and jeans, and everyone else was wearing a suit and tie. The next two times I went to interview I had on a suit and tie and finally was hired.”
Looking back, he has zero regrets. “Best job in the world doing what we do. Love this job and KFD. I love not knowing exactly what I’m going to be doing each day. I love that about life, too. It’s an extraordinary life I live, and those not in it can’t see behind the veil.”
The impact he and his Station 5 crew have on those they come across means a great deal. “Mechanicsville is a special place in Knoxville’s inner city, and it’s going through gentrification now. Lots of changes. Many of the older homes are built with wood and can burn fast, but we work a lot of medical calls and traffic accidents as well. Younger folks are moving too and refurbishing homes.”
Mechanicsville is Ground Zero for Knoxville’s homeless population, and that makes up a majority of their calls. “We want to be there to comfort the people we serve, no matter who they are or their situations. You should see some of these camps. It’s amazing.” His Green Shift crew includes Engine 5 Master Firefighter/Driver Jonathan Wormsley and Senior Firefighters Ryan Siler and Trevor Doyle.
On his “off” days, his “side” job is in the basement of Station 9 on Highland Avenue in Fort Sanders. Using skills developed in his days as a shoe cobbler, Brunson repairs turnout fire gear that endures the rigors of daily emergency work. He sits at a sewing machine and repairs the fire jackets, pants, shirts, even boots at times – and he loves it.
Stephen Brunson at the sewing machine repairing fire turn-out gear at Station 9
He’s had his rough moments at work. He’ll never forget what he saw after an accident on the exit ramp from I-40 West to Weisgarber Road in the early morning hours of October 18, 2021. Three young people in their 20s died. He described it as “grotesque” and “the worst thing I’ve ever seen.” And he’d say no more.
What Brunson describes as his “most impactful call” was the suicide of a University of Tennessee coed on graduation day. “We were working on campus that day and got the call, and when we got there, she was gone. I saw pictures of her, and she was a beautiful young lady. Her father walked in, and we saw him break down. I’ll never forget it. Tough, just real tough.”
Stress generated by these horrific memories is difficult to process. “I’ve learned how to deal with it and handle it pretty well before it becomes an issue. When we get back to the station, we’ll eventually sit and talk about things. That’s part of our therapy,” he explained. “You can’t tell civilians this stuff, and I don’t take it home either.”
His regular work week consumes 56 hours, on average, and he logs a lot of overtime. “I enjoy the overtime and going where I’m needed to the other stations. I get to know a lot of my KFD brothers and sisters, and I make a point to make a connection with the younger folks,” he said. “I try to let them know we’re a family and tell them to call me if they need something. And I always tell them not to be overly surprised by things they see, and to always expect the unexpected.”
For Stephen Brunson, it’s not a job. It’s his life.
Tom King has been the editor of newspapers in Texas and California, and also worked in Tennessee and Georgia. If you have someone you think we should consider featuring, please email Tom at the link with his name or text him at 865-659-3562.
Aubrey’s Restaurants sponsors Our Town Hero.
Captain Stephen Brunson, aka my son, always had a heart to help people from an early age. Going above and beyond and going out of his way to help others was normal for him. When he decided to make KFD his career choice, I knew he had found his calling. Of course, I would have preferred a much safer path but could not be prouder of him. Thank you for spotlighting and capturing the essence of who he has always been.