Sylvania Twp. firehouse on track to open by early November

Sylvania Township Fire Chief Jeff Kowalski discusses the progress of the township’s new fire station and points out its features. The 8,985-square-foot building is on schedule to be completed by Nov. 1.

The Blade/Jetta Fraser
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Sylvania Township Fire Chief Jeff Kowalski discusses the progress of the township’s new fire station and points out its features. The 8,985-square-foot building is on schedule to be completed by Nov. 1.

Operations at Firehouse No. 1 are just months away with a bulk of the construction project completed.

More than 22,000 blocks have been laid and cemented together for the frame and facade of the Sylvania Township firehouse on Monroe Street. The exterior building is awaiting the addition of the roof to close in the 8,985-square-foot building.

The rubberized flat roof, supported by steel bar joists fabricated by Hancock Structural Steel of Findlay, will be completed this week, said Dan Schroeder, superintendent for Mosser Construction, Fremont, the project’s contractor.

PHOTO GALLERY: Building Sylvania Township's fire station No. 1

He and Sylvania Township Fire Chief Jeff Kowalski stood inside the three-bay apparatus area looking up to its ceiling and reviewing the building’s progress. The expansive room, at 2,568 square feet, is where a transport unit, a fire engine, and a truck will be stored. On one side of the wall is a circular indent, awaiting the fire pole.

“The higher bays will allow the firefighters to work on the vehicles or change a hose inside the firehouse,” Chief Kowalski said. With a 19-foot- high ceiling the firefighters can maneuver easily on top of a truck. The old station had low ceilings, so many tasks on the outside of a vehicle had to be done outdoors.

Just off the bay area are rooms for specific duties, modeled to prevent cross-contamination. Once the roof is complete, workers will concentrate on the interior space, which is just bare walls right now.

A decontamination room has a drain, and washer and dryer hookups so that the firefighters handling chemicals or having clothes soiled while on the job can clean their gear immediately, Chief Kowalski said.

The Sylvania Township Fire Department's fire station No. 1 is on track to be completed by November first, says Mosser Construction, Inc. superintendent Dan Schroeder, despite three weeks of rain early in the summer.

The turnout gear room will be environmentally controlled to preserve a firefighter’s gear and prevent the spread of contaminants, Chief Kowalski said. The two-floor building includes a mezzanine for seasonal storage of equipment, including cloths and tools used in icy conditions.

Mr. Schroeder said that more than 50 workers from various trades, including carpentry, masonry, and iron, as well as concrete finishers, have worked to ensure the fire station is finished on time. The only bump in the road has been the Toledo area’s rainy weather in early summer, he said.

Despite the steady rainfall, the weather has not dampened the move-in date, which is Nov. 1. Chief Kowalski said the crew at Fire Station No. 1 will use the first week to get acclimated before officially opening it for public use.

As of July the overall construction cost was estimated at $1,966,860, Sylvania Township Administrator John Zeitler reported.

The estimate is about $1,800 above Mosser Construction’s bid amount to fabricate the station. Work began on April 3 with the demolition of the fire station built in 1931 to make way for a more modern station.