ADAMS TWP — The new Adams Area Fire District station on Route 228 is on schedule to be completed in the spring.

Fire district President Jason Safreed said the excavation, foundation and footers are complete and the concrete pad has been poured.

An elevator shaft is complete, and crews are now working on the exterior block walls.

Safreed said the new building will measure about 17,500 square feet, and will include six truck bays and sleeping accommodations for up to 15 firefighters.

He said nine single bedrooms and a bunk room with a common area will house the on-site firefighters.

The next step is for the steel trusses that will support the roof to be delivered, and for the block walls to be completed by late fall.

“We hope to see a paved driveway in the next couple weeks also,” Safreed said. “That will allow the construction crew to maneuver around and will help when winter sets in.”

He is satisfied with the pace of the project, which should be complete by March or April.

“There were a couple things that were unforeseen, but I believe it is basically on time right now,” Safreed said. “I don’t see any delays.”

The goal now, he said, is to get the walls up and roof in place by the fall so that workers can complete indoor work during the winter.

“That’s the goal and they’re on pace with that,” Safreed said.

The fire training facility planned for the property will be an ongoing project over the next few years, he said.

The training facility will eventually have seating for 40 students and an indoor training space where students can learn to connect to a hydrant or enter a mock tower or high-rise from a ladder.

The $5.4 million fire station is being funded by Adams Township, which will own the property and building.

The fire district will own the equipment inside, and several fundraisers are ongoing to outfit the fire station, Safreed said.

A Night at the Races will be held Oct. 29 at the Mars VFW, and the fire district’s biggest fundraiser, it’s annual fund drive from residents, is happening now.

Safreed said because the fire district’s coverage area is largely a transient population, many residents do not understand that the firefighters, board members or any others who work to provide fire service from the district are all volunteers.

“We’ll go to a call at 3 a.m. and (residents) think we’re on overtime or something,” he said. “Nobody is paid. We’re all volunteers.”

The 35 active firefighters at Adams Area, Safreed said, are joyfully anticipating a new fire station. The Mars station on Irvine Street does not have a meeting room and cannot adequately house the modern fire equipment owned by the fire district.

“Moving into this building will give us a meeting room and an abundance of what we need,” Safreed said.

Adams supervisor Russ Ford said the project’s contractor, Dennis Fleeger, is proceeding satisfactorily.

“We’re going to have a state-of-the-art fire station and a faster, more efficient response time,” Ford said.

Safreed said the fire district wants the supervisors to know how grateful its members are for the funding of the new station.

“We’re very thankful to Adams Township for what they’ve done for us,” Safreed said. “We can’t express that enough.”