Another Opinion, Editorial

What’s “Temporary” About the Fire Station?

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CABOT – The temporary fire station has become a subject of interest and speculation as Cabot recovers from the flood of 2023.

The temporary fire station in Cabot, placed on South Walden Road after the 2023 flood.
courtesy photo

Built partly with FEMA funds after the old station was condemned by the State of Vermont and demolished, the structure at 137 South Walden Road will be available to the town for purchase from FEMA (at a highly depreciated cost) and reuse once a permanent public safety building (PSB) is completed.

But why, people wonder, can’t the temporary structure become the fire department’s permanent home? The simplest answer is that it was never designed to be a permanent fire station; it’s just a building shell intended to get equipment into a climate-controlled environment as quickly as possible. The state even waived the requirement for a sprinkler system, since it was expected that the fire department would relocate within 15 months.

But, more importantly, the temporary building has no room for a decontamination facility, nor was it designed to meet the air quality control requirements for all new permanent firehouses announced by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), whose standards have been recognized and adopted by the State of Vermont.

Over the last 50 years, most homes and places of business have either been built or renovated using very durable compounds such as PVC, PCBs, acrylics and recycled plastics which emit toxic fumes and carcinogenic fly ash when they burn. Our volunteer firefighters wear protective gear when near or entering burning premises, but unless the crews can decontaminate their gear, their equipment and their bodies when they return to the station, the poisons deposited on them will cross contaminate clean equipment, and worse: find their way into lungs and

skin and street clothing.

Firefighters, whether paid or volunteers, expose themselves to serious health hazards to perform a vital public service. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health has found that firefighters face a 9% increase in cancer risk and a 14% increase in cancer related deaths compared to the general population. But, without decontamination facilities, firefighters bring those toxic materials into their homes, businesses and gathering places, spreading that risk to their families, friends and communities.

The installation of specialized decontamination equipment to meet the NFPA’s standards cannot be accomplished in the temporary building, and half-measures will not comply with those

standards or meet with state approval.

Another question people ask is: What will become of the temporary building once the fire department vacates?

Assuming the town elects to buy the temporary building from FEMA once the new public safety building is finished, the community will decide what to do with it, and already several competing proposals have started to circulate. Happily, the temporary building was designed to allow easy retrofitting with windows and additional roll-up doors facing the parking lot, so it would suit a variety of public and municipal needs, though the voters might also elect to sell or lease. There will be public forums and probably at least one town meeting vote before we choose among the alternatives.

This commentary by R. D. Eno, Cabot Select Board member, first appeared in the Cabot Chronicle.

R. D. Eno

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