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Managing Editor SPRINGFIELD - If a press conference is conducted at a fire station, there is a chance for an interruption as City Councilors Bruce Stebbins, Williams Foley and Dominic Sarno witnessed on Thursday. The three councilors were at the Oakland Street Fires Station in Forest Park as part of their on-going examination of fire stations in the city. They previously convened a meeting at the Massreco Fires Station in Pine Point after the announcement was made the station would be re-opened. Just as the press event began, a surprisingly low-key alarm sounded and a group of firefighters quickly donned their gear and left in one of the two vehicles stationed there. The truck was on its way to the call in less than 90 seconds. The meeting at the Oakland Street Station was to learn if the 100 year-plus-old station was adequate for the needs of the Department. The report on the city's Fire Department written by Carroll Buracker and Associates has recommended a number of improvements in the Department's infrastructure. Mayor Charles Ryan had recently announced plans that the Oakland Street Station and the defunct Sumner Avenue Station would be closed so a new combined station located somewhere in between the two sites would be built. The distance, Foley said, is 1.3 miles. The funding for the new station is included in a $38 million capital improvement bond the city will be selling, Patrick Sullivan, the head of the facility management for the city, said. Sullivan said a new station may be two to three years away and that in the mean time his department is planning improvements such as painting and new carpets to help keep the fire fighters more comfortable in their second floor quarters. Foley added the mayor and the Finance Control Board have no intention to close the Oakland Street Station in the near future. Deputy Fire Chief John O'Shea conducted a short tour of the building. He brought to the attention of the councilors the temperature on the first floor of the building about 50 degrees. O'Shea said that keeping the building warm is a real concern. O'Shea said there have been improvements made to the station's heating system, but the old non-insulated building presents on-going problems. Before the Buracker report, O'Shea said the Department had intended to implement a capital improvement plan for the fire station that included replacing the aging windows. O'Shea noted the firefighters there had sealed some windows and doors with plastic as a temporary measure. Unlike the Massreco Street Station, the Oakland Street Station has no structural concerns in being able to support the weight of modern fire equipment. O'Shea explained the basement was filled a number of years ago to avoid this condition. Stebbins said the tour gave him and his colleagues a chance to understand where the city's financial priorities should be. | ||||||
