Extreme Makeover
A little more than one year and $6.3 million later, the new Reed Road fire station is nearing completion. But with the ongoing construction, it hasn’t mattered if the Upper Arlington firefighters of Fire Station 72 are in the middle of moving, training or even in the middle of the night – they have not been compromised.
The new station’s proximity to the old facility has allowed firefighters to stay on duty during the transition, allowing them to both move and work smoothly.
“It’s unusual that moving will require walking just a few feet from one building to another,” says Dan Kochensparger, public information officer for the UA Fire Division. “It’s an average person’s moving day magnified.”
Cooperating weather has also helped construction stay on track. The Fire Division anticipated construction would last about 12 months. The groundbreaking ceremony was held Oct. 6, 2008, and firefighters are expecting to move in around Thanksgiving.
The new, 32,000-square-foot building features many added conveniences, including three times more space – the old station has 10,000 square feet – and is the right size for the staff and vehicles, Kochensparger says.
The facility also meets national standards with its new decontamination center for gear, medical waste or other other items returning from a response situation with harmful substances on them.
“There is a traditional idea that (the firefighters) jump out of bed at night and into their gear, but actually this is a safety issue,” Kochensparger says. The decontamination room is between the truck entrance and the station’s living space so firefighters don’t take unhealthy particles in with them.
The current station has a lower level shooting range for police officer training and yearly testing. The new facility carries this idea over, and includes ammunition storage, fire arms repair, a workout facility and offices for police training and community relations staff, which were have been housed in an office on Zollinger Road.
Police and fire staffs will be on the same floor, creating a new partnership with more opportunities to interact with the law enforcement side of public safety, Kochensparger says.
All of these added features will allow firefighters to participate in on-site tactical training with built-in training elements, such the standpipe system built in the stairs. Buildings with certain heights are required to have a standpipe system in their stairwell, similar to hoses encased in hotel stairways. If needed, firefighters may connect their hoses from outside and take them inside wherever they need to go, eliminating the inconvenience of dragging hoses up stairs.
The crew can train where they are and respond to emergencies thanks to the building’s multiple uses, Kochensparger says.
With the new firehouse, even the community can experience the upgrades. A 1930 Seagraves fire truck, called Engine 1, will be visible from windows facing Reed Road.
“Engine 1 is currently kept at another location that is already jammed with storage,” Kochensparger says.
A garage door will give the antique truck an appearance that it is another response vehicle and also also make it accessible to drive to community events. There will also be a room decorated with historical pieces from the fire department, which will be open to the public.
For more information on the new station or the UA Fire Division, visit www.uafire.org.
Emily Gibb is a contributing writer for Upper Arlington Magazine.
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