Warren Fire Department spends more than $150,000 on stations

WARREN — On Jan. 23, the Warren City Council voted unanimously to approve a pair of purchases for the Fire Department.

Council members approved the purchase of a new roof for Station 1 for $85,215 or less, and $69,229.38 in new furniture for all the stations and the fire administration building.

According to Warren Fire Commissioner Wilburt “Skip” McAdams, the roof at Station 1 has been leaking intermittently for two years and needs to be replaced.

“The roof has been patched multiple times. We were trying not to replace that roof and to stretch it (the roof’s time) until we were able to move to the new station,” said McAdams. “The leaks became more plentiful. Upon this last examination, two roofing companies told us we would be throwing good money after bad, and we would not solve our problem. We would just move it to a different location.”

A new facility is under construction for Station 1 and slated to be completed in April 2025. As a result, some council members were initially reluctant to replace the roof.

“I was not happy about this (replacing the roof), for sure, and thought we shouldn’t be putting a new roof on a station that we’re going to tear down, and thought maybe we could keep patching it,” said Warren City Council Secretary Mindy Moore. “The day I called Station 1, it was leaking. It is more than just putting buckets here and there. It is leaking down through the kitchen cabinets and that has really created a problem.”

Councilman Gary Boike expressed concern with the leaking water causing mold buildup.

According to the commissioner, the Fire Department will test for mold and if it is present, they will address the issue. This is why they are moving forward with a new roof.

“The decision was made for safety’s sake,” McAdams said. “They (firefighter/paramedics and emergency medical technicians) live there. They work there. They spend a third of their life there; and therefore, we have to protect our employees.”

In addition, the six fire stations and the fire administration building are anticipating receiving new furniture within the next two months.   

Moore toured the fire stations and said, “The furniture was just horrendous.”

Station 5 and Station 1 are building new facilities slated for completion in December 2024 and April 2025, respectively.

“This furniture should not be transferred to the new stations,” Moore said. “The new stations should get new stuff. We will keep the other for backup or replacements.”

The commissioner reiterated this.

“Assuming there are no overruns in the new stations, the plan is that everything that is placed into the new stations will be brand-new, even the trucks, even the apparatus,” McAdams said. “There is a good chance that the timing of the apparatus deliveries will correspond with openings of the new stations.”