Ribbon cutting, grand opening set for new fire station
New home of WMFD named in honor of former chief
news@theeveningtimes.com
The all-new West Memphis Fire Station No. 3 and Police Substation is ready for service. The grand ribbon cutting for the new fire house named in honor of the late Chief Dennis Brewer is set for today at noon. The new firehouse, located at East Broadway and South Loop, was designed to be the department's new flagship and serve as a gateway into West Memphis standing just west of the Big River Trail Head.
The new station was near and dear to the late chief’s heart. Before his passing earlier this year, Brewer said, 'It will be the first impression many of our visitors will see when they come to our city. We've needed an updated station for as long as I can remember. This station will enhance our service to the
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Photo by John Rech FIRE STATION (cont.)
citizens of this city and boost the morale of our department.'
A preview tour of the station showed an attention to detail meeting modern fire fighting standards. The station features a biohazard room for first responders to shower after being exposed to hazardous chemicals.
The rinse water drains into a special tank, not into the city effluent system. When the tank nears full a special handling company will come to pump the tank out and properly dispose of the hazardous waste.
The police and fire department have two separate entrances controlled by key fob. The building exterior surveillance is covered by four video cameras.
The police side is adored in blue. It features a row of five offices along the west wall, a kitchenette, and a video conference room shared with firefighters. Of course, one door in the conference room was painted red and the other entrance to the room done in blue.
The fire department side, trimmed in red, features a day-room with a television.
Firefighters can recoup there. Should coronavirus protocols become relaxed personnel may host their families there. A chief's office with inter-web connectivity tied into the city communication system.
The building was hard wired along with Wi-Fi for wireless access for three separate functions, the ambulance, the fire fighters and the police. A paging system communicates to the whole building or either side. The vented hood on the stove top is equipped with an ANSULEX Guardian 300 fire suppression unit which generates a vapor, preventing flashbacks.
The fire department requested two side-by-side refrigerator-freezers, an oven, and a dishwasher for its kitchen and dining room. A pantry storage room set behind the kitchen leading to a hall lined with five dormitories behind fire-rated core doors.
Two sets of special fans line the parking bays.
Heater units were spread out to keep the diesel powered fleet warm for quick
Automated exhaust fans also line the big room to help evacuate fumes for 20 minutes after the fire engines shut down. Carbon monoxide sensors send alerts to those in the building and activate the exhaust automatically.
Three huge parking bays were sloped to facilitate vehicle washing. A fire truck filled with water weighs more than 50,000 pounds, measures 11 feet wide and at least 35 feet long. Floor grates send the water to another special tank for separating oil and grease from sand when trucks are washed. On the day of the construction tour, surface cracks had developed from the floor drains to the doors in each of the three bays.
The concrete for the building was poured in seven hours. The service bays were leveled using laser measurements. The concrete from the back drive, through the bays and out the front drive poured out at eight inches thick with number 5 re-bar ties at one foot intervals. The bays were done in a smooth seamless finish. The building stood with concrete block and black brick veneer contrasted with white mortar. The number three stood out in brick relief.
The city was set for a lease-to-own arrangement on the building from the developers, The P3 Group.
