WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. - The Williamstown fire station is over 70 years old, and the department is hoping to get approval to build a new one.

One of the biggest issues is a lack of space surrounding the trucks.

“It’s a tight squeeze, and I’m just standing here,” said fire chief Craig Pedercini, trying to open a truck door just inches from a wall. “I don’t want everybody beating the trucks up, so we have to be careful trying to get in.” 

What You Need To Know

  • The Williamstown Fire Department is looking to build a new fire station
  • The current station is more than 70 years old and has several issues
  • There isn’t enough space for storage and the trucks, and the building has no laundry room
  •  A new station could help improve recruitment and retention of firefighters

Another challenge is the lack of storage space. The firefighters’ gear is stored just feet away from the trucks.

“If this truck is manned and heading out the door and maybe a second truck is getting ready, there could be someone over here getting stuff on,” said Pedercini. “And if they’re not paying attention to what’s going on here, that’s where I worry about them getting injured.”

The station’s men’s room also serves as additional storage space and the laundry room. It means potentially dangerous chemicals on firefighters’ gear could spread to surfaces before they’re washed off.

Pedercini said a new building would need to include a separate laundry area.

“You take it to an area where you do the laundry, and it doesn’t cross-contaminate with the men’s room, tables and chairs that you might be eating on later,” said Pedercini.

There are similar concerns for cleaning the firefighters’ masks.

“Everybody’s had these on. This is all contaminated with soot and smoke, and we bring it into our kitchen,” said Pedercini. “They’d all come in here and start using the sink and they’d be washing and cleaning stuff right here.”

A new station would cost about $18 million and wouldn’t be ready for another couple of years. Pedercini called it a necessary investment, not only for the current firefighters, but also for recruiting and keeping volunteers in the future.

“I think it gets them into the department, and they see it and they think ‘oh this is a nice station, you must be doing well with yourselves,’” said Pedercini. “It’s getting them in and then keeping them here, and that’s the goal.”