Adams fire station staffed, running
After decades of cramming in equipment and squeezing into fire trucks, the Adams Area Fire District has finally found more elbow room.
The district's firefighters moved into their new facility last weekend and Chief Bill Hayes says the two buildings couldn't be more different.
“They built us a hell of a building.” he said. “There isn't anything that's the same as the old one.”
The district made the move because the firefighters simply could no longer fit themselves and all of their equipment in the old structure, a reality they dealt with for decades.
“We outgrew our old firehouse 20 years ago,” Hayes said. “In the old days you couldn't get around all of the fire trucks.”
The new station is significantly bigger.
Adams firefighters can now walk around all sides of the trucks and even open doors on both sides, a luxury that was not available to them in the older structure.
“The guys were washing the trucks the other day and they said 'Do you know how nice it is to wash the rigs and have room on every side?'” Hayes said.
In addition to increased elbow room, the building also features living and cooking space.
The facility currently has nine bedrooms, with resident firefighters living in eight of them.
“We have eight (volunteer firefighters) under contract,” said Hayes. “Basically they live at the station and take care of the place in lieu of paying rent.”
Having volunteers on site helps with response time, as does a station that volunteers want to be in.
“I think our times are going to get quicker,” said Hayes. “People like to be there. There's usually 10 to 12 people there if you go down.”
The station already has been used for several calls and has been fully operational since last weekend.
“By Saturday we were 100 percent moved in with our stuff,” Hayes said.
While the building is fully capable of handling the current demands of the district, much of the planning process was spent ensuring that it would also accommodate any expansions or future needs.
