More space needed say Churchville Fire Department volunteers

The two pumper trucks are parked fairly close together in the truck bay which was refurbished 35 years ago. Trucks are moved one at a time into the bulding for washing. Photograph by Walter Horylev.

Fire Chief Tom Hetherington sits at the computer desk in the conference room/computer room/office area. Tom pointed to his office area, a small compartment over the filing cabinets on the left. He said the present building was built 62 years ago and has an area of about 6,000 square feet; about one-third of what he feels it should be. At some time the department would like to have their own ladder truck; there currently is no space to house a vehicle of that size. Photograph by Walter Horylev.

Steve Gulvin, president of the Churchville Fire Department, squeezes down the narrow passageway between a pumper and the east wall of the firehouse. This is the space that firefighters have to use in order to get to their turnout gear. Photograph by Walter Horylev.

More space needed say Churchville Fire Department volunteers

They are there for members of their community during times of emergency, difficulty and tragedy and now members of the Churchville Volunteer Fire Department, Inc. are asking the public they serve for help. The department is in need of a new firehouse and members say they are asking for public support as they work to obtain funding for the proposed 18,000 square feet facility.

President of the Churchville Fire Department Board Steve Gulvin said the department has been preparing and working on plans for the construction of a new firehouse for years and had hoped to break ground this year, but the Town of Riga is still deciding on how best to help fund the project and groundbreaking will now be set back at least another year.

“We need space and updated facilities,” Gulvin said.

The department has purchased 18-plus acres on Route 36 (Washington Street) just north of the corner of Route 33 on which to build the new fire station. It would be located behind the Riga Town Hall facility and the American Legion Post. Le Chase Design of Rochester has drawn up preliminary plans and the Village of Churchville has given financial support to the project in its new budget. The Village of Churchville and the Town of Riga are ready to vote on annexation of the land into the village so the department will only have to work with one entity while completing the project.

Fire department members say they are not concerned about where the town draws the funds from, they are just hoping for a commitment so that the project can move forward. (See information about Home Rule Message at end of article).

The current firehouse, located at 25 East Buffalo Street (Route 33) in the village is inadequate and outdated, members said.

The facility was purchased nearly 60 years ago and Gulvin said the department needs a building three times its size for proper apparatus space as well as room for storage. Adequate space is also needed for training, Gulvin said.

Fire Department Vice President Bob Ehrmentraut said plans for the 18,000 square feet facility are not extravagant. He said the department has worked for two years to formulate a workable, realistic plan for a new firehouse that will serve the needs of the department for the next 50 years. Ehrmentraut also cited the need for space for training and fitness equipment.

Fire Chief Tom Hetherington said firefighters need to stay in top shape for the physical demands of the job. The department has fitness equipment, but nowhere to put it. It is in storage at the Bergen firehouse, he said.

Hetherington pointed out that many residents are unaware of the number of calls the department receives. Railroad tracks, and a portion of Route 490 are served by the department and Hetherington said calls frequently come in at 2 or 3 in the morning.

Many calls, he said, are similar in nature to emergencies handled in the city. Other local communities with demographics similar to Churchville’s already have new firehouses, department leaders say.

Hetherington said, “Fundraisers alone can’t build a new firehouse.”

The location of the current firehouse also leads to what members called a “dangerous situation” when fire trucks are exiting to respond to calls or returning to the firehouse. Traffic along busy Route 33 has to be stopped during these times and even parking is insufficient, especially during large-scale emergencies like the train derailment in February. Chief Hetherington said members were hard-pressed at that time to set up a staging area for the Monroe County HazMat unit which was called in. The firehouse parking lot was full and the HazMat was forced to set up on a side street.

Fire trucks and other apparatus are currently crammed into the firehouse, in double-stacked fashion. Things are so tight that members have difficulty putting on their gear and getting into trucks when responding to emergencies, members said.

Members said the new firehouse would allow for single stacks of apparatus as well as much more storage space. Fred Lennon, a member of the department board and past chief, said they have even taken into consideration the possibility of future career staff housing in the new facility.

Lennon pointed out the commitment and dedication of the 65 members of the department. “They are not just firefighters or just ambulance workers, they wear three or four different hats at a time.”

Gulvin said all members work on various fundraising projects and the department also has an active ladies auxiliary and an Explorer Post 422.

Chief Hetherington was quick to praise the work of his members. “I am proud of my department, my firefighters and our training. I am not proud of our firehouse.”

Department members said once they have a commitment from the Town of Riga they can proceed with applying for a mortgage to cover some of the nearly $4 million price tag for the new facility. They will also need to have final plans drawn up so that the project can go to bid.

In a special meeting of the Riga Town Board held Monday, April 16, the town council worked with special legal counsel Marcia Havens on a Home Rule Message which will be submitted to the state legislature. The Message is used in special situations to allow the people to have a say (through referendum) in how Riga Mill Seat landfill revenues will be used. The Message being drafted now would include items like tax stabilization, a tax rebate, water provision, drainage and fire protection. The proposed firehouse could come under the Home Rule Message as a capital project or the money could be used to lower the protection fee costs to taxpayers.

In an email Riga Supervisor Pam Moore stated: The Churchville Fire Department has outgrown its facility. Ideally, more money would have been set aside to build a new firehouse. I strongly support building a new facility in a way which burdens taxpayers the least. Using a portion of the landfill money for this project is one way to ease the financial burden. The Home Rule Message which the town board is working on would provide a mechanism to allow the landfill money to be used for this project and others.

Moore said the Home Rule Message will be on the board’s April 24 meeting. The draft of the statement is expected to be posted on the town’s website, www.townofriga.org.