TUMALO, OR -- A crew of three Bend Firefighters at the Tumalo station had quite the rude awakening just before 11:30 Wednesday night. "Most of them were asleep and experienced a really loud crash- loud boom inside the station, which woke them up," Deputy Chief Jason Bolen tells KBND News, "They were not sure what had happened, but quickly discovered that an SUV had driven into the front of the station and caused some pretty significant damage."

A Crooked River Ranch man now faces criminal charges. "Our crew that was on scene, they quickly made their way downstairs, figured out that there was a vehicle into their station, and started to render aid. But, it turns out, both the driver and the passenger were denying any kind of injuries. Fortunately it was a non-injury event for both them and for our people," says Bolen. 

A team assessed the damage first thing Thursday morning, "We were fortunate to have the city of Bend’s structural engineer come out, was able to look at the building and spent about an hour and a half going over it. And, we pretty much were able to ensure that we can stay in there. We’re going to obviously avoid one room, which is the exercise room. But, until repairs can be made, we’re going to keep the same staffing level in that station; we’re going to continue to respond out of it. 

According to the Sheriff’s Office, 46-year-old Jamie Slagter was driving the Ford Explorer. He was cited for DUII and criminal mischief. 

Bolen says the timeline and total cost of repairs to the building have not yet been determined. It's unknwon whether the driver has insurance to cover the expense, but Bolen says the city is insured.