Renovations are underway at one of the City of New Britain’s aging firehouses. From asbestos, to broken windows to no female bathrooms, there’s a long list of improvements needed.
“We’re not asking for the luxuries,” said New Britain Fire Chief Raul Ortiz. “We’re very simple people. We want a roof that’s not going to leak. We want accommodations when we come back from a fire to be able to wash up, to stay dry, warm or cool as needed, no different than any other business or working condition.”
Construction at Station 4 is a first step to bringing the city’s fire stations up to date.
“The average firehouse is about 59 years old with minor renovations done to these houses,” Ortiz said. “So we’re going to address it slowly, but we want to do it the right way.”
He said the initial assessment to fix all fire stations came back at around $15 to $18 million. The city has allocated about $3 million for firehouse improvements. Ortiz says they’re doing the work on a priority basis.
There’s a plan in place to cover firehouses while they’re under renovation, to make sure construction doesn’t impact response times.
“I just ask that if there’s ever a situation that you need to call 911, don’t delay, don’t wait please call so that we can respond in a timely manner,” Ortiz said.
