Station 1 at Eighth Street and Chestnut Avenue is scheduled to open in June, city Fire Chief Robert Pagnini said.
The $2.6 million, two-story, 10,170-square-foot building will, along with....Continue Reading
Fire Rescue News- Vineland building new Fire Station No. 1 for city's volunteer firefighters
VINELAND - Work is underway on a new facility that will handle the equipment and volunteer firefighters who have shared cramped quarters with members of the city's full-time firefighting staff for the past several years.
housing firefighting vehicles, have a conference room, dining room and lounge on the first floor, he said. The second floor is "basically at this point an open area," he said.
"Originally, we intended to build a bunk room," Pagnini said. "We fell short on funding."
The second floor is being built so that the bunk room, bathroom, showers and additional office space can be added later, he said.
The project is funded through a mix of Urban Enterprise Zone and city funds.
Station 1 will also be a pull-through station, meaning vehicles will enter via Eighth Street and pull out onto Chestnut Avenue, Pagnini said. That eliminates firefighting vehicles from having to back into the station from Chestnut Avenue, which is a busy, four-lane street, he said.
At 69 square miles, the city is the largest municipality in the state in terms of size. The city has six different fire stations -including one for the full-time firefighting staff - located throughout its borders.
According to the Fire Department's web site, Station 1, which has 24 volunteers, covers an 11-square-mile area. That includes the downtown business district, nearby high-rise buildings and apartment complexes, and some large industrial facilities.
Station 1 used to be situated on East Avenue near Wood Street, but was torn down to make room for the Landis Theater renovation project. Station 1 volunteers and their equipment have since been housed in Station 6 at Fourth and Wood streets. Station 6 houses the city's full-time firefighting staff.
Pagnini said housing the firefighting vehicles at Station 6 that used to be at the former Station 1 is causing some crowding.
"We're really squeezed for space for equipment right now," he said.
Contact Thomas Barlas: 609-226-9197 TBarlas@pressofac.com
