For the city of Dover, help will soon be available in a faster fashion for those who live on the north side of town.
Coined Parkside, the north end of Dover has drastically grown over the past decade, tripling its own traffic pattern in the past three years. The addition of the I-77 interchange also brings more motoring traffic in addition to business traffic to the region.
For Dover Fire Chief Russell Volkert, the addition of a second station is a welcome one. And, after recently giving a tour of the facility located at the end of Dublin Drive, he noted that it is something the City of Dover, its leaders and residents can be proud of for decades to come.
The goals were simple when constructing the facility: keep costs down; keep functionality to the max; create something that will last. As a result, insulation was a must in addition to radiant floor heat and heat pumps. The goal is to see the building serve the needs of Dover and neighboring villages such as Strasburg and Sugarcreek in the event of an emergency. “This building should be here 70 years,” Volkert shared.
In addition to the facility serving as a fire station, it is a tornado shelter for the pumper as well as the ambulance. It is also the home of an office which has its own private entry that can be used by the Dover Police Department if needed. The location allows for the expansion of one bay if it is needed. Living quarters at the building were designed with safety in mind in terms of ventilation as well as care to keep cancer-causing agents away from firefighters in general. To that degree, turnout gear that is often found coated in smoke and soot as well as various carcinogens are stored separately from living quarters.
Perhaps though, one of the best parts of the project, is that it was done using local companies who utilize local labor and therefore pumping dollars into the local economy. In fact, the contractor who traveled the furthest to help make the dream a reality was from Holmes County and was utilized for the sprinkler system.
The building can accommodate about nine firefighters but will be staffed with four to start. A pumper and ambulance will also call the North Dover Station home. Equipment such as a hydraulic jaws of life will also be at the department.
According to Dover City Auditor Nicole Stoldt, the building was constructed without debt. Dover started earmarking funds for the project about seven years ago. Dover Township also chipped in towards the price of the facility as it will help serve their residents as well. Total cost of the project was about $1.7 million.
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