By By SPIROS GALLOS / Niles Daily Star
NILES - The Niles Township Fire Department should be moving into its new home by the end of the year.
Niles Township Fire Chief Gary Brovold said the construction of the new fire station just south of Bell Road on Third Street is running right on schedule for a December completion date.
Township officials will be further updated on the progress of the construction in a meeting with the contractor, Shelton Construction, on Nov. 13.
The $1.6 million station will feature many amenities which will help the department not only in day-to-day operations, but also for training purposes.
The new 10,300 square foot station will include three drive through bays, smaller bays for storing specialized trailers, a training room, administrative offices and a living quarters with four separate bunk rooms.
Originally the station was to only have the three drive through bays, but the fourth was added later to increase storage space in the facility.
The now unfinished fourth bay is a drive through type right now, but when construction is complete, fire fighters will install walls to create two bays with a storage space in between.
The new station will replace the Niles Township South Station, 316 Bell Road, which was built in 1953, while the North Station will remain in service.
Brovold noted that the training room and increased storage space are the main attractions of the new station.
Speaking of breathing, the new station is also equipped with an automatic exhaust system. The system will turn on whenever a truck is started in the station and suck diesel fumes out of the bay area.
Brovold said that the new station is being built for the future. The station will meet the needs of the department as it grows and changes.
In the living quarters, there will be room for a fitness center, a large kitchen, four bunkrooms with multiple beds for the full-time fire fighters while they're on shift, and dual shower facilities for men and women, should any female fire fighters join the department in the future.
The station will also feature more office space than the old south station. In the new station Brovold will have his own office which is nearly twice the size of his current office, which Brovold and his secretary now share.
In addition to a new chief's office, there will be a quiet room dedicated for fighters who want to study training materials, and a new duty-shift office, which will house radio and dispatch communication equipment.