After a home or business has undergone renovation, there’s usually cause for celebration.
In the case of Hobart’s main Fire Station on 10th Street, where a large crowd of residents gathered to view the makeover that has been a long time coming, according to those close to the project.
“Thanks to the diligent work of Mayor (Josh) Huddleston and Clerk-Treasurer (Deb) Longer, funds have been secured for a much-needed renovation project at Hobart Firehouse 1,” said fire department public information officer Lt. John Reitz. “Opened in 1974, only minor changes have been made to the building in the 50 years since.”
Visitors to the ribbon-cutting and Open House toured the facility, as well as picked up safety information from various booths.
Those attending included members of Hobart Girl Scout Troop 35776.
Among them were mom Sara Drake and her daughter Briana, 7.
“This visit to the fire station is a great opportunity for our girls,” Sara Drake said. “They’re learning about facilities in our neighborhood, as well as fire safety rules.”
Hobart resident Jennifer Broadmore agreed that children are never too young to learn about what their city had to offer.
‘Our kids are taught about safety rules, but it actually hits home when they get to meet real firefighters,” she said, as her son Jaden, 10, talked with one of the firefighters who was explaining the various areas of a fire truck. “This Open House is one way to show them there are people in the neighborhood who will protect them in case of a fire.”
Improvements to Firehouse 1 were mostly on the inside, with the exception of the firehouse bay area floor.
The tour of the makeover began upstairs with the kitchen area, complete with three brand-new large stainless steel refrigerators, one for each shift of men.
Funding also included the purchase of new pots and pans, dishes and silverware.
Hobart firefighters are assigned a three-day 24-hour work block, with three days off in between.
This means that each team of six men per building — two other firehouses are also located in the city — eat, sleep and are on call in their respective area for this amount of time.
“I guess it makes sense that these guys need to have a comfortable place to live in since they spend a lot of time here,” said Patrice Timmerman of Hobart, as her family admired the sparkling new 5-burner stove and neatly hung new cabinets “They deserve this, since they are protecting our community.”
Next to the kitchen is the living room, complete with six large leather lazy-boy chairs.
“Very cool”, said Daniel Foreman, 10, of Lake Station, as he settled in one of the chairs.
Daniel’s family is planning to move to Hobart in the near future, and his dad Jeff was excited to show his family what the city is doing for its residents.
“This (Open House) is a wonderful way to show what they have here,” said Jeff Foreman. “Keeping up with new technology and other important things is one way to show appreciation for people who live here.”
The sleeping area for the firefighters included six new beds, with each firefighter assigned a nearby closet for personal belongings.
Next to the bedroom, the large training room included an updated bathroom, complete with shower facilities.
According to an Open House visitor, one surprising fact was when he found out that many of the firefighters themselves did a lot of the physical labor involved in the project.
Indeed, Fire Chief Enrique Lopez said that the renovation was definitely a team effort.
The fire department drew up the makeover design itself, but also went one step further, Lopez said.
“Our men painted all the inside walls on both floors, and hung all the kitchen cabinets,” he added.
There was one thing inside the building that remained the same — the fire pole located in the sleeping area.
This old-fashioned way of the men getting to their firetrucks in a hurry remained untouched, except for the new small door covering the pole.
Additional improvements in the Fire Department administration offices are also underway. Renovations of a smaller scale are also planned for Firehouse 2 on Old Ridge Road and Firehouse 4 on Colorado Street.
Sue Ellen Ross is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
