BARGAINTOWN VOLUNTEER FIRE COMPANY OPENS NEW FACILITY
EGG HARBOR TWP. - After years of waiting the Bargaintown Volunteer Fire Company moved into their newly rebuilt facility Monday.
Just after 6 o'clock Monday evening the Bargaintown Volunteer Fire Company arrived at....Continue Reading
Station 1 on Mill Road in Egg Harbor Township to officially reopen it's doors.
"It's almost overwhelming, its very satisfying, its almost feels like we're home," said Lt. Michael Otaegui, president of the Bargaintown Volunteer Fire Company.
It's been exactly 4 years and one week from the day a fire badly damaged the firehouse forcing the crew to move to a different location.
After years of waiting for a new facility, the Bargaintown firefighters pulled into a rebuilt 6,700 sq. ft. building equipped with a large engine room that will help them serve the community much easier.
"It's good for the residents that are in the surrounding area because now we can give extra fire protection as opposed to waiting a little bit extra coming from the other side of town, now we'll be there in half the time," said Otaegui.
Improving response time is just one of the things the rebuilt facility will help the crew according to Otaegui.
"We have a lot more room to work with stuff, we have a work room over there on the side, we have more engine bays to spread out and do special things here and even training," he said.
"We can actually house other equipment here," said Chief Bob Dube. "Say we have a general alarm in the township and we have mutual aid from other companies, they can actually come here, they can pull through here and sit here. They have a place to sit down and relax," said Dube.
"Just going to the fire, that's only 10-percent of it, 90-percent is keeping the apparatus in shape, having everything ready for when you get to the scene," said Clarence Abbott with the Bargaintown Volunteer Fire Company.
While tonight's move was a joyous occasion, numerous delays made the building process tough for Dube who wanted to open the firehouse in mid September.
"Mother Nature, that was a big factor, we had a lot of rain that held us up because every time we had the ground prepped the rain would come and we'd have to do it all over again," Dube stated.
With years of stress finally out of the way all Dube could was smile.
