Winchester fire station temporarily closed for repairs
Published 5:00 pm Monday, October 18, 2021
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
A Winchester fire station is temporarily closed due to repairs for water damage.
Fire station two, located on Fulton Road, was a victim of the flash flooding that hit the area on October 7.
Fire Chief Chris Whiteley said the station is in a floodplain and that firefighters discovered the extent of the damage the next day after they returned from helping the flood mitigation efforts.
“At daybreak, we started doing damage assessments,” he said. “The damage was more substantial than we’ve experienced in the past.”
Whiteley said that the station suffered water damage “about two to three feet up” throughout the living quarters and office area. Water even covered the heat exchanges on the station’s HVAC system.
There was damage to the station’s roof and a substantial amount of mold, which created a safety issue for the firefighters.
“We didn’t want our guys living in mold or water,” Whiteley said.
So the City of Winchester decided to move around resources.
“We moved rescue company two to the traditional truck company home at station three and are running truck three from station one,” Whiteley said. “We’ve combined everybody from station three and put them in the house at station one.”
As of Friday, a company has finished a week-long deep clean of the station and removed damaged furniture.
Repairs are already underway at the station, but there is no time frame for completing the project.
“There are so many unknowns when you are dealing with water damage, the extent of mold damage and damage to the structure itself,” Whiteley said.
In a social media post Friday, the city announced that it does not expect the station’s temporary closing to impact the department’s ability to provide service.