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The Observer | Saturday, September 13, 2008
Kings open season by taking three of four points up for grabs................ »16
the mall that has it all... VOLUME 13, ISSUE 37
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2008
www.ObserverXtra.com
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PRICELESS
A LOT MORE ELBOW ROOM Floradale district fire chief Dennis Frey was happy to take possession Monday of the new $1.3-million station on Florapine Road.
PHOTO | MARC MIqUEl HElSEN
Ready to answer the call
New Floradale station gets a long-overdue welcome from firefighters; open house goes Sept. 27 MARC MIQUEL HELSEN It’s been a long wait, but well worth it: Floradale’s firefighters finally have a new home. Taking possession of the $1.3-million facility on Monday, firefighters quickly settled in, responding to a call from the Florapine Road location early on. Its official opening, however, won’t be until a day-long open
house Sept. 27. After years of dealing with small and cramped quarters, Floradale’s 20 firefighters will finally be able to breathe easy at the new building. “This is a big step for us, having this station,” said Floradale district fire chief Dennis Frey. “And if you know the uniqueness of Floradale, we are a dry station: we cracked open the root beer,” he added with
a chuckle. Measuring approximately 6,400 square feet, the new facility is far roomier than the dated 2,400-square-foot predecessor on Ruggles Road. The new facility will not only have room enough to house its tanker (on tap to be replaced next year), its pumper and its rescue vehicle, but also enough space for two additional vehicles – five bays in total. That extra space could
certainly come in handy in the future, said Frey, noting that the extra bays could help accommodate growth in the future or, in case of emergencies, provide temporary parking for trucks from other fire stations. The station’s new rescue, too large to fit in the old fire hall, had been parked offsite since its arrival earlier this summer. In fact, Floradale had been making due with a
30-year-old truck, waiting for a bigger stationhouse to be approved before ordering a new one. The new building includes space for training rooms, a servery-kitchen and general offices (secretary, training officer, mechanical office, and fire prevention officer). It even houses a room for historical memorabilia that could be put on display in the future, See FLORADALE page »06
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