SALEM — Extensive repairs and improvements were recently completed at Salem Fire Station 2 on North Street, which has been closed since July.
The firehouse at 142 North St., originally built in 1881, was reopened Sept. 2 after a two-month project to ensure the building can operate efficiently and safely for the 12 firefighters who spend 24-hour shifts working at the station.
The Fire Department’s impetus for the project followed an incident in June when one firefighter, backing the fire truck into the station garage, collided with the door frame — which only allowed for 6 inches of space on each side between the truck and the walls — and caused significant structural damage.
“It’s incredibly challenging — getting hung up on the door frame was not unheard of, and it had been hit many times,” fire Chief Alan Dionne said. “But this time, it pulled the frame in such a way that it compromised the integrity of the wooden structure, and the arch that holds up the entire front of the building was caving in.”
With repairs to the front facade immediately necessary to ensure the stability of the building, the Fire Department took the opportunity to address the station’s other inadequacies and make improvements with a $750,000 capital project that was approved by the City Council, in addition to the department’s annual maintenance money.
The front facade was rebuilt, adding 14 inches on both sides of the door to accommodate 21st century fire trucks, which enter and exit the station about 10-12 times a day, according to Dionne. The project also included cosmetic improvements to the door and exterior bricks/woodwork, new lighting fixtures, replacement of electrical systems, new drop ceilings upstairs, construction of insulated walls, new communications systems, new lockers, new fire alarm systems, water fountains, and laundry machines.
“The neighborhood was without the station for a while, but it was worth it,” Dionne said. “Peabody Fire, which has a station over on Tremont Street just a half a mile from the city limit, helped us cover this neighborhood during the repairs. Now, we have a station that could last another 60 to 100 years.”
One of the most significant upgrades was the removal of the building’s steam radiators and installation of sustainable heat pumps throughout the building. With new heating and air conditioning systems, Dionne said the cost of the upgrades to sustainable heating and cooling will pay for themselves in a few years, given that they were generally spending $1,600 a month on heating oil.
The firefighters themselves put a lot of effort in on the upgrades to the station, according to Dionne.
“The firefighters take a lot of pride in the station, and take good care of them,” Dionne said. “A lot of the work that was done in the station to prepare the building was done by them. We have several firefighters who worked in the building trades who oversaw the remodeling, and helped us locate the vendors to drive the project forward. In all of our stations, they’re doing work on their own to put epoxy floors in, entirely rebuild doorways, put up furnishings and new kitchen cabinets — all on their own time.”
With all five fire stations now open and operational, the department is looking ahead to other modernization projects to improve efficiency. This includes plans in the next year to install 39 modern and weatherized storm windows at the Lafayette Street station, which the department is in the approval process for now with the Historical Commission. Funding for the project will include community preservation money. Next year, the department is also hoping to replace the 35-year-old overhead doors on Lafayette Street, which Dionne said have become costly to maintain as they age.
Michael McHugh can be contacted at mmchugh@northofboston.com or at 781-799-5202