Rutland Herald
KILLINGTON — The turnout gear is stuffed in a
precisely arranged fashion into cubbies lined up behind a wooden wall,
almost giving the illusion of a locker room.
If the fire-retardant gear weighed any less than roughly 45 pounds, it might sway slightly because of the draft in the old building.
Members of Killington Volunteer Fire Department have been trying to educate the Select Board and townspeople about the disintegrating condition of the fire station on Killington Road.
Built in the 1970s, the building fails to meet a number of fire code and safety regulations.
But beside the legal aspect, the safety of volunteer firefighters is the most pressing issue on Capt. Gary Roth’s mind as he watches the building slowly crumble around him, his crew and their equipment.
Residents and officials met Wednesday night at the fire station, so they could assess for themselves the condition of the building.
Roth led the group on a tour of the building, pointing out areas that needed renovation or replacement.
“When a call goes off, we get dressed in the dark,” Roth said. The lights for each room are not located in an area that is easy to access, so to save precious time, the firefighters get dressed relying only on feel and an established routine.
Roth went through a long list of issues with the building, including the bays barely being wide enough for the trucks to come and go.
“On either side of the vehicles is where the turnout gear is stored and where some of the volunteers get dressed,” he said. “My crew is surrounded by exhaust from the trucks. It’s not only unhealthy, but it’s damaging for the gear.”
Also, exposure to sunlight is harmful to the material.
Roth said a new uniform is designed to last about 10 years, but theirs last about four.
The town is working with architects to identify the fire department should renovate or build a new station.
“It’s just pretty clear that this station isn’t sustainable or efficient,” Roth said.
The Killington department isn’t the only crew of firefighters watching their building deteriorate.
Castleton Volunteer Fire Department broke ground for a new station in the fall when they got fed up with a station built in the 1960s that no longer met the needs of the town or firefighters.
The new station is near Four Corners in Castleton, where a survey found most of the calls originate.
“The building was just too small for our trucks and other equipment,” Fire Chief Heath Goyette said. “There wasn’t enough room to get dressed quickly, and that slows response time.”
Goyette said the land the station is built on is about 1 acre, prohibiting expansion of the building.
The new station will be on 5 acres.
Vehicle bay doors will be extended from 10 feet to 14 feet.
“We’ve lost a lot of mirrors to those narrow doors,” Goyette said. “But no more.”
Goyette said the process of getting the building approved, budget passed and construction started took a little more than two years.
The Killington department is pushing to head in the same direction.
Roth said the uneven floors, scary-looking stain on the carpet and general disrepair of the station is especially discouraging when trying to recruit new volunteers.
“Volunteers in this industry have declined over the years,” Roth said, standing next to a leaky water pump located inches away from the electrical breaker and exposed wiring. “And this facility is not going to encourage new people to join the crew.”
Roth isn’t the only one noticing this trend.
Nationally, the number of volunteers who sign up to fight fires and make other rescues has drastically dropped.
According to the National Fire Protection Association, the population of volunteer firefighters has decreased by 11 percent since the mid 1980s, while the number of full-time, paid firefighters has increased by more than 50 percent.
“I go on about 300 fire and rescue calls a year,” Roth said. “I don’t go to my paying job that many days. It’s a serious commitment.”
Right now, the Killington department has 34 volunteers, but is having a hard time attracting younger people as current volunteers phase out or leave for paying jobs.
Rutland City Fire Chief Robert Schlachter said this decline is because people simply can’t afford to spend so much time volunteering.
“Some people are working two jobs to make ends meet,” he said. “People have children and families, and jobs that pay them. Volunteering is time consuming.”
Schlachter said the training required to become a volunteer is now more extensive than it used to be.
The current amount of time needed to be trained as an entry-level firefighter takes 170 hours.
Training in the 1960s and ’70s took a total of 45 hours.
This is because the materials have changed through the years, Schlachter said.
“Things burn differently, materials are more complex and more hazardous,” he said.
That, combined with an increase of natural disasters, such as floods and snowstorms, require departments to be trained for a wider variety of situations.
These are all factors that Schlachter said are discouraging for new people and existing ones.
Jim Litevich, chief fire safety training officer in Vermont, said he has seen class enrollment of new recruits drop during the past 10 years.
“The average class used to have at least 25 people,” he said. “Now, I see about 20.”
Roth said he and the crew do what they can to market the department for new volunteers, but first and foremost, they need a new building.
bryanna.allen @rutlandherald.com
If the fire-retardant gear weighed any less than roughly 45 pounds, it might sway slightly because of the draft in the old building.
Members of Killington Volunteer Fire Department have been trying to educate the Select Board and townspeople about the disintegrating condition of the fire station on Killington Road.
Built in the 1970s, the building fails to meet a number of fire code and safety regulations.
But beside the legal aspect, the safety of volunteer firefighters is the most pressing issue on Capt. Gary Roth’s mind as he watches the building slowly crumble around him, his crew and their equipment.
Residents and officials met Wednesday night at the fire station, so they could assess for themselves the condition of the building.
Roth led the group on a tour of the building, pointing out areas that needed renovation or replacement.
“When a call goes off, we get dressed in the dark,” Roth said. The lights for each room are not located in an area that is easy to access, so to save precious time, the firefighters get dressed relying only on feel and an established routine.
Roth went through a long list of issues with the building, including the bays barely being wide enough for the trucks to come and go.
“On either side of the vehicles is where the turnout gear is stored and where some of the volunteers get dressed,” he said. “My crew is surrounded by exhaust from the trucks. It’s not only unhealthy, but it’s damaging for the gear.”
Also, exposure to sunlight is harmful to the material.
Roth said a new uniform is designed to last about 10 years, but theirs last about four.
The town is working with architects to identify the fire department should renovate or build a new station.
“It’s just pretty clear that this station isn’t sustainable or efficient,” Roth said.
The Killington department isn’t the only crew of firefighters watching their building deteriorate.
Castleton Volunteer Fire Department broke ground for a new station in the fall when they got fed up with a station built in the 1960s that no longer met the needs of the town or firefighters.
The new station is near Four Corners in Castleton, where a survey found most of the calls originate.
“The building was just too small for our trucks and other equipment,” Fire Chief Heath Goyette said. “There wasn’t enough room to get dressed quickly, and that slows response time.”
Goyette said the land the station is built on is about 1 acre, prohibiting expansion of the building.
The new station will be on 5 acres.
Vehicle bay doors will be extended from 10 feet to 14 feet.
“We’ve lost a lot of mirrors to those narrow doors,” Goyette said. “But no more.”
Goyette said the process of getting the building approved, budget passed and construction started took a little more than two years.
The Killington department is pushing to head in the same direction.
Roth said the uneven floors, scary-looking stain on the carpet and general disrepair of the station is especially discouraging when trying to recruit new volunteers.
“Volunteers in this industry have declined over the years,” Roth said, standing next to a leaky water pump located inches away from the electrical breaker and exposed wiring. “And this facility is not going to encourage new people to join the crew.”
Roth isn’t the only one noticing this trend.
Nationally, the number of volunteers who sign up to fight fires and make other rescues has drastically dropped.
According to the National Fire Protection Association, the population of volunteer firefighters has decreased by 11 percent since the mid 1980s, while the number of full-time, paid firefighters has increased by more than 50 percent.
“I go on about 300 fire and rescue calls a year,” Roth said. “I don’t go to my paying job that many days. It’s a serious commitment.”
Right now, the Killington department has 34 volunteers, but is having a hard time attracting younger people as current volunteers phase out or leave for paying jobs.
Rutland City Fire Chief Robert Schlachter said this decline is because people simply can’t afford to spend so much time volunteering.
“Some people are working two jobs to make ends meet,” he said. “People have children and families, and jobs that pay them. Volunteering is time consuming.”
Schlachter said the training required to become a volunteer is now more extensive than it used to be.
The current amount of time needed to be trained as an entry-level firefighter takes 170 hours.
Training in the 1960s and ’70s took a total of 45 hours.
This is because the materials have changed through the years, Schlachter said.
“Things burn differently, materials are more complex and more hazardous,” he said.
That, combined with an increase of natural disasters, such as floods and snowstorms, require departments to be trained for a wider variety of situations.
These are all factors that Schlachter said are discouraging for new people and existing ones.
Jim Litevich, chief fire safety training officer in Vermont, said he has seen class enrollment of new recruits drop during the past 10 years.
“The average class used to have at least 25 people,” he said. “Now, I see about 20.”
Roth said he and the crew do what they can to market the department for new volunteers, but first and foremost, they need a new building.
bryanna.allen @rutlandherald.com
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