Margate Fire Chief Dan Adams said firefighters are elated over their new digs at Fire Station 2.
By NANETTE LoBIONDO GALLOWAY
MARGATE The recently completed addition to Fire Station 2 at 405 Brunswick Ave. has provided firefighters with the room to cook, sleep and take training in comfort.
The fire station, which was originally dedicated on July 3, 1980, was large enough to house one firefighter according to the National Fire Protection Association's ISO rating system at the time, but was no longer adequate for current staffing needs, Fire Chief Dan Adams said.
The residential portion of the public building has been enlarged to about 2,000 square feet from its original 600 square feet and at the required FEMA elevation for critical and essential buildings.
It's a big difference, Adams said as he provided Downbeach.com with a tour of the building.
The addition boasts living spaces, sleeping quarters and a private room for top command. The second floor is currently available to use as a storage space, although it can be finished off for a future use, he said. A few minor punch list items still need to be completed by the contractor, but for the most part, the project is complete.
Aliano Brothers General Contractors, Inc. of Vineland was awarded a $604,840 contract on April 1, 2021, to build the facility. Aliano was the lowest of six bids received. The project was authorized through the city's 2020 capital bond ordinance.
Adams said there are three firefighters stationed at the city's second firehouse, which is located in the southwestern portion of the city, based on manpower available. Minimum staffing levels citywide stand at six. All of the city's 37 firefighters are EMT certified and are appropriately scheduled to serve the city's year-round population, which swells exponentially from spring to fall.
In the summers, we can have 30,000 to 50,000 visitors on holiday weekends, he said.
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Station 1 at 1 S. Washington Ave. closed for renovations in 2011 and a trailer was dropped at the Brunswick Avenue site to be used as the Margate Fire Department's temporary base of operations, and an engine was housed at the Longport Volunteer Fire Department until work on Station 1 was completed in 2013. Now that the addition is completed, the city is anxiously waiting for the trailer to be removed from the site.
Adams said Deputy Chief Pat Armstrong saved the city thousands of dollars by installing the kitchen cabinets and appliances, which includes a top of the line microwave oven that was salvaged from a tear-down in Longport. A kitchen island serves double-duty as a dining area and work space.
Fire safety is always a top priority for firefighters, and the kitchen along with the entire structure is equipped with a fire suppression system that is tied in with the building's hardwired smoke detectors, Adams said.
The Margate Firefighters Mutual Benevolent Association contributed flat screen televisions for the living room and sleeping quarters.
The facility includes enough lockers for all the firefighters who can be scheduled to work at either station, Adams said.
Calls dispatched to the firehouse are heard throughout the building over an integrated speaker system.
There were no changes to the station's bay area, which houses A-21, a 2010 Horton ambulance, and Engine 21, a 2016 Spartan engine.
The public will get a chance to tour the building when the department holds a ribbon cutting and rededication ceremony on April 10 in conjunction with the Margate Mothers Association's Easter Egg Hunt. The time of the event will be announced at a later date.
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