Renovations to Wash. Firehouse Bring Healthy Changes

March 02--SUNNYSIDE -- No more roommates for Sunnyside firefighters resting during their 24-hour shifts thanks to a $3.1 million expansion and renovation of the Eighth Street fire house.

"If somebody came to work sick, everybody got sick," said Dennis Blumer, a firefighter and paramedic for 19 years.

Work is virtually complete on the new portions of the station, while crews now focus on remodeling the existing section of the building, built in 1964 and designed for smaller trucks and a part-time volunteer force.

A $5.2 million bond passed by voters in 2012 is paying for the work. The remainder will go toward a related land purchase, equipment and cost overruns, if there are any.

The expanded station, double its previous size, will feature a new apparatus bay twice the size of the existing one, a conference and training room big enough for 50 people, and an office for on-duty captains.

The bay doors feature glass windows, making the trucks -- always a show stopper for children -- visible to passers-by.

"People can see what they've invested in," Chief Aaron Markham said.

Work is expected to be complete in May, when the city will hold an open house for the public.

The city had discussed improvements to the fire station for nearly 10 years. The roof leaked and the city had been unable to purchase a full-sized ladder truck because it wouldn't have fit in the bay.

Meanwhile, the four beds inside the dorm room were in one room cordoned off by office cubicle dividers, allowing viruses to spread to an entire shift.

Also, for the first time, the station will have more than one restroom. The department has only a few female firefighters.

"We're really coming up in the world," Markham said.

While construction is going on, things are still a little crowded.

A temporary office has been set up inside the training room and storage rooms are full.

One of the captains, handy with wood working, is using some of the scrap wood from the old structure to build a picnic table for the new patio.

"We're firefighters," said Mickey Gillie, a seven-year member of the department. "We're used to dealing with disarray."

Copyright 2014 - Yakima Herald-Republic, Wash.