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New Fire Station
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New Fire Station
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If you are using a dial-up connection, please be patient. This page contains many photos which may take some time to load.
On
Wednesday, November 28, 2003, the West Reading Fire Department
relocated to its new station.
The new station is located at 223 Playground Drive, on the corner of
Playground Drive and Parkview Road (aka 3rd Avenue), at the top of
the hill above where the Bicentennial House is located. FROM
NOW ON, ALL FIRE COMPANY FUNCTIONS WILL BE HELD AT THE NEW FACILITY.
This includes our semi-annual chicken barbecues, annual block party,
and annual Kiddie's Christmas Party.
Click here for an updated map of West Reading, showing the location of our new station.
Scroll down to see photos of the construction process or click here to see photos of the completed building.
We are no longer occupying the Franklin Street building. If
you would like to speak to someone in the fire department, we can be
reached at our new station on Playground Drive, or call 610-372-9621
for "normal business."
(ALWAYS remember, if you have an emergency, don't think twice...call
911 right away!)
WE
WELCOME ALL VISITORS!
As long as
someone is in the building, we will gladly show you around. Remember,
we are still an all-volunteer fire department, so there will be times
when no one is in the building. You may call ahead to 610-372-9621 to
make sure someone will be there. There is a doorbell at the main
entrance on the Playground Drive side of the building. Parking for
handicapped persons is available on the east side of the building,
the opposite side from where the fire apparatus are parked. As this
is a municipal building, it is ADA compliant and completely
accessible. The entrance to the parking lot is at the corner of
Playground Drive and Linden Lane.
A
WESTERN BERKS EMS
AMBULANCE IS HOUSED AT THE NEW STATION!
West Reading Borough Council voted in favor of
allowing Western Berks Emergency Medical Services to house an
ambulance at our new fire station.
What's so good about that?
Having a Western Berks ambulance and staff on hand
means that there are people occupying the station 24 hours a day.
Western Berks crews are able to train with WRFD, and us with them. It
makes WRFD and WBEMS function as a much better team in the business
of saving lives! The new building was designed to accommodate
"live-in" personnel, with men's and women's bunk rooms and
showers, a day room and a full kitchen, so the ambulance crew (and
any firefighters in the building) should feel right at home!
The History of Our New Fire Station
On April 1, 2002, a groundbreaking ceremony was held to commence
construction on West Reading Fire Department's new station. Creating
the design for the new building and deciding on the location was a
long, difficult process. We intend for our new station to be capable
of supporting the operations of our fire department for the next 100
years, since our current station has lasted almost that long.
However, our current building was not designed to accomodate the ever-increasing
size of fire apparatus and the potential need for full-time
firefighters which may come about in the future. It would also
require extensive renovation to bring it up to current building code standards.
Our new station has been designed to not only serve the fire
department but also the Borough of West Reading. It is designed for
possible municipal uses and coordination of Borough services in an
emergency. Full details of the building's design and its many
facilities can be viewed below.
Ideas and suggestions for the new station were accepted from all of the members of the fire company, as well as the public. Members of the committee who designed the building included:
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Sherry Fabriziani, Project Manager |
Daniel Strause, Firefighter |
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Mark Burkholder, Fire Chief |
William Zimmerman, Business Manager |
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Harry Reeser, Jr., Fire Police Captain |
Michael Cardell, President |
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Thomas Kupiszewski, Jr., Station Manager |
Jeremy Rapp, Firefighter |
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Christian Murray, Second Assistant Fire Chief |
Rodney E. Baer, Former Fire Chief/Advisor |
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The late E. David Wenger, Former Council President |
Kurt Burtgess, Council President |
Kevin Barnhardt, Mayor |
Artists' renderings of the finished building:
(Click on any drawing to enlarge. Click your browser's Back button to return.)
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1. West Side: The opening of the apparatus bay faces west,
opening onto Parkview Road. At this angle, it does not point directly
toward any homes, so the noise of the apparatus entering and leaving
the station does not directly impact local residents.
2. North Side: The main entrance of the building, with a
covered entrance area, is on the north side, facing Playground Drive.
The main entrance leads directly into the office area,
training/meeting room, and the apparatus bay. A sidewalk leads from
the corner or Parkview & Playground, to the main entrance, and
back to the parking lot.
3. East Side: The east side, which also does not directly face
any local homes, is where the rear entrance, overhead door for our
main storage room, and parking lot will be located.
4. South Side: The south side of the building is where the
kitchen and lounge area is located. This side faces Wyomissing Creek.
The view above shows how the new station fits into the neighborhood. The yellow areas are sidewalks. The sidewalk along Playground Drive is new. Click on the image above for an enlarged view of the plans, details of the building's layout and descriptions of the building's many possible uses.
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West Reading Mayor Kevin Barnhardt was one of the three officials who spoke at the groundbreaking. From left: Fire Chief Sherry Fabriziani, Mayor Barnhardt, Borough Council President Kurt Burtgess. |
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After concise speeches by the VIP's, all three planted the shovel to break ground. |
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Council President Burtgess raises the first shovel-load of dirt to officially begin construction of the new building. |
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The construction area is fenced off to protect the public and the construction workers. |
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At the back end of the property, construction begins on the new driveway which will lead to the Bicentennial House and the new, improved Tot Lot! |
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Digging for the foundation and utilities begins! |
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The foundation is dug, and the base of the front apron is in place! |
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Cinder blocks are brought in to begin construction of the walls! |
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The walls begin going up... |
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...and up... |
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...and up! |
Click on any of the photos below to view larger size. Use your browser's "Back" button to return to this page.
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The walls of the hose tower are raised. |
From the front, the three apparatus bays take shape. |
At the rear of the building, the roof begins to be set into place and
the doorways and walls are built.
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October, 2002 |
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Left: The framework of the roof over the apparatus bay is in place. |
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Left: A better view of the hose tower. |
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Left: Closer view of the main entrance roof on Playground Drive. |
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As part of the new station construction project, the "Tot
Lot" playground was relocated across the street on Playground
Drive, and all-new playground equipment was installed for the
children of the Borough to enjoy!
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Late November, Early December, 2002 |
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Late March, Early April 2003 |
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Above: Almost all of the windows are now installed, including the windows above the bay doors. The bay doors themselves are also installed. |
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Above left: The Playground Drive side of the building. Above right: The main entrance doors and windows (on the Playground Drive side) have been installed. |
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Above left: Excavation has begun on the station's rear parking lot. Also, the new dirveway leading to the Bicentennial House has been paved. Above right: The front display wall, where the bell from the old fire station (circa 1911) will be displayed, has been constructed near the front of the building, at the Playground Drive / Parkside Drive corner. |
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Above left: The ground is leveled for the rear parking lot. Above right: View of the south side of the station from the area of the Bicentennial House. |
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Early May, 2003 |
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Above left: This dramatic twilight view of our station's west side
shows the soft ramp lighting coming to life. |
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Above: A panoramic look at the rear parking lot being paved. The sign for the Bicentennial House can be seen in the top left corner, with the new road leading to the "Bici" House visible in the lower left area of the photo. |
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Above: A panoramic view of the new sidewalk, which runs from the corner of Parkview & Playground along the side of the building and back to the parking lot. (Apologies for the rough patch job and "fish-eye" effect.) |
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Above left: The sidewalk along the side of the building extends along
the back of the building. |
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Left: Another view of our station, from the corner of Parkview & Playground Drive, "lighting up" as dusk approaches. |
Wednesday, November 26, 2003
The night before Thanksgiving and the WRFD has a lot
to be thankful for! This is a sight we've been waiting a long time to see...
Click here for more photos of our new station
in its completed state!
