According to a report from Journal Star, despite a revision to a purchase agreement for property in Pekin, Illinois, will not affect the completion date of a new fire station that will be built at 1104 Sheridan Road.

Pekin Fire Department (PFD) Chief Trent Reeise said he expects the station’s bidding process on Sheridan Road, at the corner of Broadway Street and Ironwood Drive, will begin this fall, with a groundbreaking taking place next spring. Both new stations could be operational by the spring of 2024.

Pekin City Attorney Kate Swise said the town’s council approved the purchase of the Sheridan Road property in March for $475,000 plus exchange and lease-back of property at 1000 14th Street in Pekin from property owner David Milam.

Under July’s revised agreement, the total purchase price was for $657,000, which includes a $200,000 deferred purchase price secured by a mortgage on the Sheridan Road property. It will be repaid through the conveyance to Milam of the 14th Street property.

Reeise also said the 14th Street station will be decommissioned after the Sheridan Road station becomes operational. Although a site has not yet been determined, the city is now planning to add a fourth station on the south end of town. Reeise said the fire station project was long overdue, with PFD’s two current stations being built in 1962 and the third, at 3232 Court Street, built in 1976.

Muskegon Heights had its third fire truck go down for repairs last week, leaving it temporarily without any working apparatus.

Ev

Daily Local News, West Chester, Pa.

(MCT)

Aug. 22—PHOENIXVILLE — The Phoenixville Fire Department held a building dedication and housing ceremony for its new fire station on Paradise Street.

A parade from the current station on Church Street to the new station kicked off the day’s festivities, followed by the building dedication and housing of fire trucks and emergency vehicles at the new station.

A “housing” is a traditional ceremony in the fire service in which new apparatus is pushed into the station three times — once for God, once for country, and once for the fire service.

A ribbon-cutting ceremony involving local and state elected officials along with firefighters was held at the new fire station at 150 Paradise St. The new station is located along the French Creek, just east of the outfield of Babe Ruth League’s DeSanno Field.

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Cassandra Day

The Middletown Press, Conn.

(MCT)

Aug. 23—MIDDLETOWN — The South Fire District unveiled Monday its $1 million renovation project, which includes a restroom and showers for a woman firefighter, a move intended to promote gender parity.

Reimbursement from the State Bond Commission also allowed the station to add a new wing, expand its living accommodations, and enlarge the bunk room where there are 13 beds separated by low partitions.

Presently, there are 37 employees in the station, according to Chief James Trzaski. Besides the one woman firefighter, there are three women among administration staff.

Up until the renovations, firefighters all shared the facilities. When women were occupying the restroom, they would put an “in use” sign on the door, the chief said.

“It made it a little uncomfortable,” he admitted. “It’s time we do what’s right.”

The culture of fire service has changed over the years, said Trzaski, whose wife is also a firefighter/EMS. He started his professional career in 1985 as a volunteer, when women were “not allowed” in the fire department.

That’s no longer the case.

“The people in leadership were from the ’40s and ’50s at that time,” he said. “I think we’ve broken that barrier.”

When women were hired, Jacobs said, they needed distinct areas, including lockers.

Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz said she recently visited a station in Hamden, built in the 1920s, which had firefighters’ quarters, but they weren’t enclosed or separated for women and men.

“We have a lot of work to do to update firehouses,” she said, especially considering the fire service wants to attract more women.

South Fire’s goal is to make the career more attractive to encourage more women to apply for jobs. “We certainly embrace it,” Trzaski said.

The department, formerly the Russell Fire Co., is a separate taxing district that now serves 14,000 residents. It started out as a horse-and-buggy operation where Stop and Shop is on East Main Street, explained Jacobs, who joined in 1975.

It began as an all-volunteer operation.

“The residents out here did really get service, because how could you get a horse from [the Main Street station] all the way out here?” he added.

At the time, Jacobs was paid $2 an hour and 50 cents for a false alarm.

The current facility was built in 1968. It had a flat roof, which the chief said isn’t ideal considering New England’s harsh winters.

That was replaced, additional office and living spaces were added, and more modern facilities created. A workshop was also transformed into a small gym.

The rest of the money paid for the expansion, and some of the work, including painting, brick-laying and the tearing down of walls, was done by firefighters to save costs, the chief said.

“That saves a lot of time,” Trzaski said of his crew. “They do that all the time. In the long run, it benefits them.”

The former fire chief’s office was essentially cut in half to make the lounge larger, Deputy Chief Russ Jacobs said during a tour of the building.

The chief’s office was rather large, and the adjoining day room was very cramped, Jacobs said. “Eight people tried to fit in half this room,” he said, referring to the typical number of personnel working each shift.

“It was extremely difficult for them,” he explained. “Half the time, they wouldn’t even go in here.”

The project began under former chi

Cassandra Day

The Middletown Press, Conn.

(MCT)

Aug. 23—MIDDLETOWN — The South Fire District unveiled Monday its $1 million renovation project, which includes a restroom and showers for a woman firefighter, a move intended to promote gender parity.

Reimbursement from the State Bond Commission also allowed the station to add a new wing, expand its living accommodations, and enlarge the bunk room where there are 13 beds separated by low partitions.

Presently, there are 37 employees in the station, according to Chief James Trzaski. Besides the one woman firefighter, there are three women among administration staff.

Up until the renovations, firefighters all shared the facilities. When women were occupying the restroom, they would put an “in use” sign on the door, the chief said.

“It made it a little uncomfortable,” he admitted. “It’s time we do what’s right.”

The culture of fire service has changed over the years, said Trzaski, whose wife is also a firefighter/EMS. He started his professional career in 1985 as a volunteer, when women were “not allowed” in the fire department.

That’s no longer the case.

“The people in leadership were from the ’40s and ’50s at that time,” he said. “I think we’ve broken that barrier.”

When women were hired, Jacobs said, they needed distinct areas, including lockers.

Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz said she recently visited a station in Hamden, built in the 1920s, which had firefighters’ quarters, but they weren’t enclosed or separated for women and men.

“We have a lot of work to do to update firehouses,” she said, especially considering the fire service wants to attract more women.

South Fire’s goal is to make the career more attractive to encourage more women to apply for jobs. “We certainly embrace it,” Trzaski said.

The department, formerly the Russell Fire Co., is a separate taxing district that now serves 14,000 residents. It started out as a horse-and-buggy operation where Stop and Shop is on East Main Street, explained Jacobs, who joined in 1975.

It began as an all-volunteer operation.

“The residents out here did really get service, because how could you get a horse from [the Main Street station] all the way out here?” he added.

At the time, Jacobs was paid $2 an hour and 50 cents for a false alarm.

The current facility was built in 1968. It had a flat roof, which the chief said isn’t ideal considering New England’s harsh winters.

That was replaced, additional office and living spaces were added, and more modern facilities created. A workshop was also transformed into a small gym.

The rest of the money paid for the expansion, and some of the work, including painting, brick-laying and the tearing down of walls, was done by firefighters to save costs, the chief said.

“That saves a lot of time,” Trzaski said of his crew. “They do that all the time. In the long run, it benefits them.”

The former fire chief’s office was essentially cut in half to make the lounge larger, Deputy Chief Russ Jacobs said during a tour of the building.

The chief’s office was rather large, and the adjoining day room was very cramped, Jacobs said. “Eight people tried to fit in half this room,” he said, referring to the typical number of personnel working each shift.

“It was extremely difficult for them,” he explained. “Half the time, they wouldn’t even go in here.”

The project began under former chi