Wisconsin Rapids Fire Station 1 renovations provide safer, more comfortable workspace for firefighters
WISCONSIN RAPIDS – After about four years of planning, firefighters at Station 1 will move into their new living quarters on Friday. The $2.7 million addition and renovation will provide a safer, better workspace for firefighters and a better response time to emergencies.
The small, almost apartment-sized kitchen that had served the station will be replaced by a new institutional-style kitchen with a large island, window and storage space to house enough supplies to take care of a group of hungry firefighters.
The open-concept kitchen is connected to the department's new living space that includes a dining table and comfortable chairs for relaxing, Wisconsin Rapids Interim Fire Chief Todd Eckes said. Along one wall of the living space is a series of doors that open to a dorm room where each firefighter will have his or her own bed, table and one of four lockers.
Retired Fire Chief Scott Young began pushing for renovations at the station, located at 1511 12th St. S., after the city hired its first female firefighter in 2018, Eckes said. The design of the station didn't allow for separate sleeping quarters or showers for a female firefighter. The department made temporary adjustments, but they weren't ideal, Eckes said.
The command staff also knew the layout of the department wasn't meeting firefighters' needs for safety, Eckes said. Smoke at fire scenes contains cancer-causing substances that get into firefighters' clothes, hair and skin, Eckes said. The layout of the station, built in 1982, requires the firefighters to bring the cancer-causing substances into the living quarters.
According to the Firefighter Cancer Support Network, the risk of cancer in firefighters is 250% greater than people who aren't firefighters. More than two-thirds – 68% – of firefighters develop cancer, according to the network.
The new station layout will allow firefighters to go straight into a shower area when they return from a fire, Eckes said. There will be new steam showers, which studies have shown open pores and allow carcinogens to be rinsed off the skin in about 20 minutes, he said. The firefighters will then be able to place their smoke-filled clothes into a special washer that extracts the carcinogens from the fabric. The contaminates will never go into the living quarters.
The pandemic also inspired changes for the remodeled station. Two firefighters shared each cubicle in the old dorm area. The cubicles are separated by plywood walls. Red curtains hang across the door of one cubicle for the two female firefighters.
When COVID-19 hit, two people couldn't stay in the same cubicle because they were sleeping closer than 6 feet apart, Eckes said. To make things work, the department put Murphy beds in two offices that could be pulled down in the evening.
The old building also has carpeting, recliners and other surfaces that can't be easily sanitized, Eckes said. Firefighters will be able to wipe down everything in the new living quarters with a bleach solution.
Another safety feature will be a sprinkler system throughout the building. The 1982 structure didn't require a sprinkler system, Eckes said.
Once firefighters move into the new addition, construction workers will begin the renovation of the old station. The old kitchen and eating area will become offices, Eckes said. There will be a training room, which is something the department hasn't had before.
The flow of the building also will be better, said Battalion Chief Mike Lisitza. Firefighters will have a more direct route from their dorms to the current equipment bays, which will hold the fire engines, and to three new bays, which will hold the department's ambulances.
"It should cut down on response time," Lisitza said.
The department currently keeps some of its equipment, like the hazardous materials trailer and a boat, in a pole building, Lisitza said. The new bays will have enough room so that the equipment can be moved into the station where it will be more accessible.
Like other construction projects, the Station 1 renovation and addition has had problems with inflation and material availability, Eckes said. The new addition has temporary doors and kitchen counters that will be replaced when the appropriate ones come in.
The $2.7 million for the project included a large contingency fund that the department hopes will allow some remodeling at Fire Station 2, but the increased construction costs may mean the work on the second station will have to wait, Eckes said.
"We greatly appreciate the investment the city, the city council, the mayor and the taxpayers have put into our department," Eckes said.
Officials plan for construction to be completed by July 2, when the Fire Department members plan to have a ribbon cutting and open house.
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Contact Karen Madden at 715-345-2245 or kmadden@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter at @KMadden715, Instagram at @kmadden715 or Facebook at facebook.com/karen.madden.33.
This article originally appeared on Wisconsin Rapids Daily Tribune: Wisconsin Rapids fire station renovations improve safety response time
