LEWES, Del. - Recently approved ARPA funds from the City of Lewes for the Lewes Fire Department Inc on Savannah Road will contribute to renovations for bunk rooms.
Brian McConlogue often works 24-hour shifts as a firefighter and an Emergency Medical Technician at Station 82. He said with long shifts it's important for staff to have the space to recoup and right now, they just don't have that.
"We have kind of a makeshift bunk room. It's got four beds, a few dividers in one big room that we made into a makeshift bunk room. It does its purpose right now but to have an actual area and a room where we can go and rest, change and put our belongings would be beneficial to everybody." said McConlogue.
There are now plans to build 8 dorm rooms, two additional bathrooms with showers and an ADA compliant elevator.
McConlogue explained, "Especially after a fire, we really have many places to go to get a shower. We have one shower upstairs on the third floor. It's kind of hard to get six people in and out in an appropriate amount of time to be able to handle calls so I think that'll be a big plus for the building."
Past Fire Chief Gordon Davis said this sort of investment benefits not only the firefighters but the community as well,
"This is a huge help to this organization which ultimately results in public safety benefits allowing us to add more personnel to the fire station around the clock. That of course lowers response times. So that's a win for everyone."
The ARPA funds will cover about half of the $1 million cost to renovate. The other half will be financed.
Next the fire station will select a contractor, but expect to begin renovations before the end of the year.