Baltimore’s Commission for Historical and Architectural Preservation unanimously voted Tuesday for Engine Company 14 to become a historical landmark for being the oldest operating fire station in the city, clearing the way for millions in state money to renovate the building, thebaltimorebanner.com reported.

The firehouse — which is more than 130 years old, and located at 1908 Hollins Street in the Boyd-Booth neighborhood — is the oldest continuously operating firehouse in Baltimore City, and it is also one of the most active firehouses in the city, according to an official with the historic preservation commission.

Originally built in 1888, the two-story brick building with rusticated brownstone windows received its first and only renovation in 1902 for “architectural rebranding” resulting in the building that stands today, according to the commission.

The firehouse is slated to receive capital funds from the city in the next two fiscal years for improvements and repairs, the report said. Additionally, there’s $5 million in state funding allocated for the renovation after Tuesday’s landmark decision.

By Alan M. Petrillo

Firefighters and incident commanders are using more rugged laptops, tablets, and hand-held devices both in the cabs of fire apparatus and on the scenes of fires and other emergencies.

Makers of those electronic devices are responding to fire service needs by producing an array of devices that are proving to be durable, easy to use, and full of pertinent data and information.

David Plourde, Dell product marketing rugged manager, points out that firefighters should look at four main attributes in their tablets/laptops for fire use: elements-proof units, readable screens, dedicated GPS, and expanded accessories. “Dell designed and engineered the Rugged Latitude line separate from our standard Latitude,” Plourde says. These include the Dell Latitude 5430 Rugged and the Latitude 7330 Rugged Extreme, which have 11^th-generation Intel® Core™ processors with optional vPro, Intel Wi-Fi 6E, and optional 5G capability and battery run time of nearly 25 hours with dual hot swappable batteries.

He notes the Rugged Latitude models are engineered to resist vibration, water, and dust ingress; enhance heat management; and protect from salt fog that can corrode sensitive parts. “We test the Rugged Latitude for operational thermal extremes from -20°F to +145°F and storage thermal extremes from -40°F to +165°F,” he says.

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