OCEAN CITY, Md. -Â The Ocean City Fire Department's new firehouse on 65th Street and Coastal Highway is well underway.
The new firehouse is anticipated to improve operational efficiency, reduce response times and offer enhanced training opportunities for firefighters. The modern facility is equipped with advanced safety features, including ventilated gear storage and a decontamination suite, aimed at mitigating health risks for firefighters.
The Ocean City Fire Department aims to position the new station as a central hub for quick response and critical care, ensuring the safety and well-being of the community.
Chief Richard Bowers of the Ocean City Fire Department, gave more insight into what this station will offer. Inside, there will be 12 bunk rooms, a fully equipped kitchen, expansive storage areas, the largest fitness room among Ocean City firehouses and more.
The most significant addition to the new firehouse is the decontamination suite. This is to combat the pervasive threat of carcinogenic byproducts resulting from fire incidents. Chief Bowers emphasized the critical role of this suite in safeguarding firefighters' health, stating, "They stick on our clothes, stick on our hands and everything. So the benefit is that it gets washed off and it doesn't stay. It's not absorbed, or inhaled in any capacity for our firefighters."
Carcinogenic byproducts present a substantial risk to firefighters, making them disproportionately susceptible to cancer. With the introduction of the decontamination suite, Chief Bowers aims to mitigate this risk.
Local Tony Criscuola voiced his support for the new firehouse, citing the growing infrastructure and the potential increase in fire incidents. "There's more buildings and unfortunately, that means there's a possibility that there could be more fires. So, yeah, I'm all for it. And being a taxpayer here in Ocean City, I fully support it," Criscuola remarked.
Chief Bowers highlighted the strategic significance of the new station, "We feel that it will maintain and possibly even improve some of our response times to areas that we respond to south of this station."
With construction progressing, the newest Ocean City firehouse is looking to be operational this Fall.