By Alan M. Petrillo
The Midway (NY) Fire Department had to replace an original main station built in 1951 that was located on a busy highway and, despite two additions that were completed in 1987 and 1992, was in poor condition.
An evaluation by a local engineering firm determined that the station had so many problems that it would be more economically feasible to demolish the old station and replace it with a new one.
Deciding to Go New
Charles Rappazzo, Midway’s building committee chair, says the department had C.T. Male Associates evaluate the old building. “They found we had unsealed asbestos ceilings above our drop ceilings; the Stowe exterior finish (mesh over fiberglass insulation covered with cement) on the outside of the addition was not installed and sealed properly so that it leaked, giving us mold and mildew issues; concrete block had deteriorated; some of the second floor supporting wood joists were either not touching the walls or were rotting away; and the roof had rotted near a chimney membrane covering,” Rappazzo points out. “They told us it would cost $3 million to make repairs to the old building, while a brand new structure would cost $3.5 million. We chose to go with a new fire station.”
Bob Mitchell, principal in Mitchell Associates Architects, says his firm won the contract from Midway to design and build the new station. “The fire department worked out of its Station 2 on Consaul Road, which also is the district headquarters, while we knocked down Station 1 and built the new station,” Mitchell notes. “The finished design that Midway chose became a 15,474-square-foot station with three apparatus bays, two double-deep drive-throughs, and the third a single deep with space behind it to hold all the firefighters’ turnout gear in lockers.”
Rappazzo notes that during the 11⁄2-year construction time for the new Midway Station 1, firefighters responded out of Station 2, where their gear and apparatus had been relocated. “We moved our midmount aerial ladder and two engines into the three bays at Station 2, left the pickup truck outside, and put the squad unit out back,” he says. “We also squeezed in more lockers so the firefighters would have their turnout gear there, but it was very tight, and we were always bumping into each other when dressing for a call.”
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Posted: May 1, 2018
Grand Prairie (TX) Fire Department PUC pumper. Dash CF cab and chassis; Cummins L9 450-hp engine; Pierce PUC 1,500-gpm single-stage pump.
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Posted: Apr 30, 2018
Firefighters helped rescue 14 ducklings from a storm drain in Bremerton on Monday.
A homeowner made a service call request after discovering the ducklings in the drain next to her home in the 3800 NE Ambleside Lane.
A crew from Central Kitsap Fire and Rescue Station 45 arrived on scene and located the ducklings with the help of the mother duck, who they said was standing nearby.
- PUB DATE: 4/30/2018 8:02:12 PM - SOURCE: KOMO-TV ABC 4 and Radio 1000
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Posted: Apr 30, 2018
www.theherald-news.com
The East Joliet Fire Protection District showed off its newest big piece of equipment Sunday, a Ferrara Cinder MVP Rescue Pumper vehicle. The unique thing about this new vehicle is that it functions as a two-in-one with the combined capabilities of a squad truck, which firefighters use for specialized rescue jobs, and as an engine, the type of vehicle typically used to fight fires.
The vehicle will have equipment to rescue, such as during an extrication, and equipment to put out fires, which would usually be in two separate vehicles.
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“It’s a convenience for us doing our jobs,” said East Joliet Fire Chief Robet Scholtes. “Because when guys go out with this vehicle, they have everything with them.”
Scholtes said the idea came about three years ago after the department sold off an engine and wanted to develop a new vehicle with dual capabilities. He said that he asked some of his firefighters to form a committee, and they spent about a year drawing up designs for the vehicle and were able to suggest what features they thought it should have.
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Posted: Apr 30, 2018
Necn
From the first electric fire alarm system in the world, to the first automated voice dispatch in our area, the Boston Fire Department is at the forefront of technology, using newer equipment to help them dispatch calls faster.
It allows dispatchers in the Fenway command center to dispatch calls with a click of the mouse, instead of physically reading the call out.
In addition to the the automated calls, the Boston Fire Department is also looking at technology that would track firefighters on iPads, in case they become lost or trapped in a building.
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