Days of storms that have wreaked havoc across Western Washington have prompted Governor Jay Inslee to declare a state of emergency in Washington. The proclamation covers storms that started on November 30 and have caused major flooding, landslides, power outages and closed roadways across the western side of the state.
- PUB DATE: 12/9/2015 6:50:47 PM - SOURCE: KOMO-TV ABC 4 and Radio 1000

Hook and Ladder 8, the building used for the exterior shots of the Ghostbusters' headquarters, is a working firehouse that has been around for more than a century.

The firehouse even pre-dates the Fire Department of New York. When Hook and Ladder 8 was established, the firefighting forces of New York consisted of loosely affiliated companies of volunteering men.

In 1866, just one year after these disparate fire brigades were incorporated under the umbrella of the Metropolitan Fire Department, the Hook and Ladder 8 company moved its operations to the current spot on North Moore Street in Tribeca. At the time, an older school building occupied the site.

It was not until the 1898 unification of the five New York City boroughs that the Fire Department of New York as it exists today was born. With the development of this larger, more centralized force, Hook and Ladder 8 received a brand new firehouse in 1903, although it looked much different than it does today.

The new building, designed by the Superintendent of Buildings at the time, Alexander H. Stevens, was one of the first firehouses of its kind. Prior to Stevens’ tenure as the Superintendent, the design and construction of New York’s firehouses was outsourced to the architectural firm of Napoleon LeBrun & Sons. But when Stevens came in, he took over the creation of new fire buildings. His signature style was Beaux-Arts, a classically tinged school of design that would inform a number of New York buildings—most famously, Grand Central Station.

Stevens’ archetypal firehouse design had tall banks of windows on each floor and a central, arched portal on the ground floor that provided vehicle access. Hook and Ladder 8’s new building was one of the first buildings to show off the design, embellished with a decorative cornice above the truck entrance. When it was built, it was twice the size it is today, with two vehicle doors. The firehouse was cut down to its current dimensions in 1913, when Varick Street underwent an expansion that forced the building to downsize.

For decades, the firehouse and its men protected the city as one of many reliable FDNY fire stations. In an early version of the script, the story took place in a future world where the Ghostbusters were a municipal force like the police or, well, firefighters. In accordance with that, a firehouse was chosen for their base of operations, and Hook and Ladder 8 became forever known as Ghostbusters HQ. The logo sign used in the movie and its sequel still hangs in the station to this day.

For more information, view www.atlasobscura.com

 

 

 

 

 

The town of Foxborough is auctioning off its old fire station on School Street, a building that hasn't been used for public safety since 2007 when firefighters moved into a new facility on Chestnut Street.

The town tried unsuccessfully a year ago to find developers for the old brick station and adjoining lots. At the time, Town Manager William Keegan said auctioning the property was an option – with the goal to generate more activity downtown.

The former fire station was built in 1924 on the corner of School and Rockhill streets.

The property to be auctioned totals about half an acre and includes the adjacent 1800s home that once had been used as a funeral home. Zoning allows a mixture of residential and commercial uses on the site.

The auction is scheduled for Dec. 15 at noon at the Boyden Library, 10 Bird St. There will be an open house at the site beforehand, from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m.

For more information, view www.bostonglobe.com

 

 

Some residents would prefer the town look elsewhere for a new location, town officials were equally clear that the site for the facility is settled.

Fountain Hills Rural/Metro Fire Chief Randy Roberts told the audience of about 15 that they wanted input on what steps to take to be the best possible neighbors.

Roberts said they will do all they can to be responsive to residents' concerns.

They have already committed to working on a design that blends with residential architecture. There will be no outside radio speakers and they will minimize the use of flashing lights and sirens.

However, Roberts indicated they are required to use lights and sirens on all emergency responses. The station is expected to receive four to six emergency responses on a 24-hour shift.

There will be six firefighters assigned to the station, including ambulance crew.

Architecturally the facility would be a single-story building with three equipment bays. There would be parking for about 15 cars.

The existing Fire Station No. 2 has some response times in the range of eight to 12 minutes, well beyond the five minutes Rural/Metro is contractually obliged to meet.

Also, the station handles only 20 percent of the call volume in town. The new site would expand that to around 40 percent, a much better balance of resources, according to Roberts.

The current schedule calls for the architectural selection to take place in January or February. The design schedule would take place between March and October, with the construction bidding process to take place in November and December of 2016.

Construction would then take place during the 2017 calendar year with work expected to take the entire year.

For more information, view fhtimes.com

 

ORLEANS, VT; December 8, 2015—In its recent expansion into side-by-side utility vehicles, Wisconsin-based Gravely®, an Ariens Company brand, has introduced the 2015 Gravely Atlas, a heavy-duty jobsite UTV that readily accommodates the KIMTEK® MEDLITE® and FIRELITE® transport skid units. The new Atlas JSV 3000 and JSV 6000 crew gas and diesel models each have a cargo bed capacity of 1250 pounds, easily supporting any of the nine UTV transport skid units KIMTEK currently offers for off-road fire and rescue operations.

Effective combination

With modular, slide-in design and adaptability, KIMTEK's skid units install into Atlas JSVs in just minutes. Their included tie-down system attaches simply and quickly to the Atlas integrated tie-downs already located in the UTV cargo bed. With room for an attendant and a patient in the MEDLITE units, and the ability to carry up to 85 gallons of water plus a patient in the FIRELITE units, the Atlas JSV-KIMTEK combinations offer first responders in police and fire departments and EMS agencies powerful tools for off-road fire and rescue, wildland search and rescue, large-event response, lifeguard operations, industrial fire, and medical response, and several other field applications.

More information about KIMTEK's full line of MEDLITE and FIRELITE transport skid units may be found at www.kimtekresearch.com. More information about Gravely Atlas JSV models is available at www.gravely.com.

About KIMTEK Corporation

KIMTEK is the largest producer and marketer of ATV/UTV/Compact pickup truck-specific skid units for public safety agencies in the U.S. Custom designed for off-road emergency service vehicles, KIMTEK's slide-in fire and rescue skid units and MEDLITE medical skid units are now in service in all fifty states, the Department of the Interior, the National Park Service, and the U.S. Forest Service, as well as with U.S. Embassies, the Department of Defense, and all branches of the U.S. Military. A certified GSA contractor, KIMTEK transport skid units are also widely used in first response for large industrial plants, mining operations, and for seashore, sports stadium, racetrack, and other recreational venues.

KIMTEK Corporation was founded in 1984 as a research and development company dedicated to advances in life safety technology in the fire sciences. For more information, please contact KIMTEK at 888-546-8358 or visit the company's website at www.kimtekresearch.com.