The City of Buckley is currently trying to pass a bond to construct a new fire station.

There are many reasons why your department needs to replace the current station which was built in 1951.

Lack of storage has become a major problem with your current station. Our main storage area is full of firefighting gear, tools, seasonal equipment, tables and chairs for meetings. Your continuously growing need for additional equipment and lack of space forces us to “push stuff off to the side.”

Your current station has one public, coed bathroom. Besides the dire need for unisex bathrooms, the facility we have now doesn’t have shower facilities. It consists of one toilet. The sink is located outside of the bathroom.

Decontamination has risen to be one of the most important safety concerns. Some of these hazards include: automotive fluids (gas, diesel, ethanol, oil), other chemicals used in farming, bodily fluids including blood borne pathogens and simple byproducts of combustion.

We currently have no way to decontaminate ourselves from these hazards once the emergency has ended and we return to our homes or jobs. It is a growing concern and a rising safety factor that was not realized in 1951. For the safety of your volunteers and community, it is imperative that we prevent contamination to others and the health of your first responders.

There is one small office that the chief uses for all his day-to-day activities that lacks the space needed to meet with the public, conduct interviews, complete and submit reports and store all the required documents.

The main reason for a new station is merely the size of the current one. The size of apparatus has grown dramatically in the past 60 years and there are little signs that future apparatus will become smaller. Trucks today are simply larger all-around than trucks 60 years ago so that they can carry a lot of tools, manpower and water. Clearance on the top and sides of your current trucks are an invitation for dents, dings and major damage to your equipment and your station. Other than the fact that damage to your trucks can cause problems at a fire, we keep your trucks in service for many years and continuous damage requires multiple repairs.

Our gear is stored along the walls beside and behind the apparatus ready to be donned in an emergency. Due to the tight space some your firefighters have to dress in the narrow passageway that impedes other fire fighters trying to access their gear or the apparatus. The most important equipment to the firefighters is their gear. It is the barrier between the firefighter and the hazard, whether it is 600 degree heat or an accident victim’s blood.

With 46 of your firefighters all needing a place to put their gear, we have simply ran out of space to put it all.

Keith Lambertus

lieutenant

City of Buckley Fire Department