CHIMACUM — Construction workers were framing East Jefferson Fire Rescue’s new $2 million station last week.
The department said it hopes the new building at 9193 Rhody Drive will be completed this fall.
“We are making good progress,” said Fire Commissioner Rich Stapf, who is volunteer manager for the project.
“We had to dig out more soil than we expected, but otherwise, it has gone like clockwork.”
“This will be more efficient,” Chief Gordon Pomeroy said.
“Everything will be under one roof, and the crew will be able to conduct their drills without having to go to another location.”
Pomeroy said the new station, which will be about 11,000 square feet, will house three to four paid firefighters and have the capacity for five people.
The old fire station housed up to four people, in a trailer.
Primo Construction of Sequim is building the station, which includes three bays that will hold up to six vehicles, as well as house equipment now kept outside.
The Chimacum Fire Station’s service area extends south to state Highway 104 and north to Port Hadlock and Irondale, with an average response time of 7 minutes and 45 seconds, said department spokesman Bill Beezley.
It also is prime responder to Marrowstone Island and will answer Indian Island calls.
The original fire station building dates back to the early 1950s and was upgraded in the ’70s.
At that time, a metal shell building was built to enclose the original cinder-block structure.
The department considered upgrading the structure, said Beezley, but found it would cost less to build a new station from scratch.
“Having the new station will provide the community with the same response times they are used to but will make us a lot more efficient,” said Stapf, who owns a construction company.
“It’s going to last us well into the future.”
The old station was named for former Fire Commissioner Wally Westergaard.
That dedication will remain on the new station, Beezley said.
Pomeroy said another advantage of the new station is the flushing technology for diesel fuel that won’t allow stray exhaust to escape.
“The new station will be safer,” Pomeroy said.
“Inhaling diesel fumes is the major cause of firefighter cancer, and this [system] will be state-of-the-art.”
Pomeroy and Stapf both said the new station also will help prepare the department for the future.
“This new building will allow us to grow,” Pomeroy said.
“As we get more business, we will be able to expand.”
Jefferson County Reporter Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or at charlie.bermant@peninsuladailynews.com.
