Fire Officials Review Expansion Plans

ByRobertChartuk

Outgrowing a cramped firehouse and ambulance building, Center Moriches Fire District officials have proposed a new facility that will allow the volunteer department to better serve the residents. They’ve scheduled a June 20 vote on a $17.9-million bond proposition to replace a deteriorated auxiliary building and provide expanded quarters for the Emergency Medical Technician service, among other improvements.

“Our biggest issue is no space for our trucks and very tight areas for our volunteers to maneuver,” said John Delong, chairman of the board of fire commissioners, the elected body chosen by the voters to run the district. “Population has increased and the number of calls we respond to has gone up dramatically. Our facilities need to keep pace with what we are asking our members to do.” than building what we actually need,” Schlosberg continued, pointing out that the annex, built in 1988 behind the existing firehouse, would cost $10 million to renovate. Under the proposed plans, it would be replaced by a five-bay facility contiguous to the old building heading east on Main Street. The new addition would also elevate the communications center and accommodate today’s larger equipment and department staff.

The department’s restricted space can barely accommodate its firetrucks and ambulances had to be specially ordered since standard models wouldn’t fit into the current building, according to Michael Schlosberg, another commissioner, who pointed out that ceilings had to be reconfigured to fit the newest addition to the emergency fleet.

“Today’s ladder trucks are at least 29 percent longer than trucks from 40 years ago, and pumpers are 22 percent longer,” Schlosberg said. “They are too long to be properly accommodated either in the main apparatus bay or the annex building,” he said, adding that the department’s entire communications system is currently situated at basement and ground level and should be elevated based on lessons learned from Superstorm Sandy in 2012.

“Our emergency medical crew is on call 24-hours a day, sevendays-a-week in a cramped area no bigger than a bedroom,” said Commissioner Edward Stypulkowski, who demonstrated that the district’s ambulances have no more than four inches of clearance when they leave the building. “We’re very fortunate to have community volunteers to answer the calls and serve our residents in emergency situations. We need to accommodate them. Without a volunteer force, the services we provide would be enormously expensive.”

According to the commissioners, the district responded to 539 fire calls last year, an increase of 55 percent from past years, while ambulance calls skyrocketed to 1,778, a 142 percent increase. “The area’s growing number of residents, along with an aging population and influx of group homes and apartment complexes, has dramatically increased the need for emergency services,” Commissioner Paul Fremgen noted. He said the project will bring the firehouse into compliance with current safety codes and standards.

The district’s vehicle fleet has expanded from 10 at the time of the last major expansion in 1970 to 19 today – nearly double – including five fire trucks, three ambulances, two fire police vehicles, an advanced life support first responder, and two rescue boats, according to Commissioner J.R. Saetran. “The lack of separate gear storage space creates dangerously overcrowded conditions for volunteers where vehicles operate – and exposes firefighters to carcinogens,” Saetran said. The current facilities, used not only by department members, but also community groups, violate the federal Americans with Disabilities Act and don't provide separate gear dressing areas for men and women volunteers, he noted.

Based on current market conditions, the plan, if approved