Offers Pouring in To Help VT Fire Department

LYNDONVILLE VT - The brotherhood of firefighters is alive and well in Lyndonville.

In the aftermath of a fire which destroyed the Lyndonville fire station and heavily damaged equipment, offers of help from fire departments around New England have come pouring in.

"I really appreciate the help from all the departments," Lyndonville Fire Chief Greg Hopkins said. "They have all been great."

Hopkins told Lyndonville trustees and town selectmen Monday afternoon he has received calls from New York, Massachusetts and Connecticut as well as many departments in Vermont offering whatever help they can give.

"They said if they don't have what we need, they will find it," Hopkins said.

Local departments have loaned Lyndonville firefighters turnout gear - coats, pants, helmets and boots - which had been destroyed in the fire. Hoses have also been donated to the department. A fire station in St. Albans has offered to lease a ladder truck to the town for $1. The Vermont Fire Academy has a tanker which it has offered at no charge for as long as Lyndonville needs it.

Hopkins said while all the trucks have a covering of melted tar that needs to be cleaned, Engine 1 is in good shape and is parked in a bay at the Lyndonville Electric Department on Grove Street. Another engine and the fire and rescue truck are in service and are being kept in a building owned by Northern Counties Investment Corp. on Pudding Hill.

Having equipment located in different parts of town presents a problem, especially with a volunteer fire department, Hopkins said. It could inhibit response time.

"It is easier to have everything in one place," Hopkins said. But he also said it was important to keep at least one truck in the village.

Two pieces of equipment are out of service. One tanker was totaled and needs to be replaced. The ladder truck was also badly damaged and cannot be used until tests can be done to see if it is safe. Hopkins said the ladder truck took a lot of heat from the fire and the integrity of the truck is in question.

Another loss was the base unit of the radio station and 10 portable units. Selectman Bruce James said he has been talking with Lt. Gov. Brian Dubie and local legislators to find funds to replace the equipment.

The equipment is insured through the Vermont League of Cities and Towns. Municipal Administrator Arthur Sanborn said he was told Monday the town should be receiving a check for about $50,000 which will be used to replace firefighters' protective gear.

"Our biggest problem is we have no home," James said.

The town has been planning to build a new fire station for some time. It bought the former Oscar's Bakery property on Church Street with this in mind. While plans have been drawn up for the new station, there is no money available at this time. James said he is working on finding federal and state funding for this purpose with an eye on the future.

In the meantime steps have already been taken to repair the gutted station. Lyndonville Electric Department owns the building and uses most of it for utility equipment and vehicles. These were not damaged by the fire thanks to a fire wall between the two sections. The fire station is housed in one end of the same building.

LED Manager Ken Mason said insurance adjusters were at the scene Friday afternoon. Mason contacted a structural engineer who also showed up the same day. Built in 1957, the building is a brick and concrete block construction with metal rafters and a flat, tarred roof.

In his report, Mason wrote, "The heat was so severe that the metal rafters sagged and separated from the wall on the end of the bay where the fire started. The fire heated the tar on the roof and tar rained down within the vicinity of the extreme heat."

It is this condition of the building that has led to a delay in determining the cause of the fire. State police fire investigator Detective Martin Hatch is leading that investigation. Hopkins said Monday until the collapsed trusses in the area where the fire appeared to start are stabilized, it is not safe to conduct the investigation.

Mason said the sagging beam needs to be removed before anyone can safely work in the area. The section of the building needs to be shorn up before that can happen.

"To us this is a big project," Mason said. He also said with any luck people will be drinking champagne by early fall when the building is completely repaired. In the meantime, LED will accommodate the fire department as long as needed.

Mason took numerous photographs of the fire damage. What surprised him was when he opened the door to the office in the fire station to survey the destruction, he found everything in place with no signs of damage. The desk was in order; the coffee pot and cups hanging on the wall were clean. The southern corner of the building was unscathed and yet that was where it appeared the fire had started.

"This was a major setback for this community," Mason said. "But it could have been a heck of a lot worse if our equipment had also been lost ... at least we're still in business."

The St. Johnsbury Fire Department is providing mutual aid until Lyndonville is totally back on its feet.

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