The feel of a new firehouse

See fire chief Rick Ennis talk about the new fire station

Cape Girardeau fire chief Rick Ennis stopped by the empty Emerald Street fire station Thursday. He opened the screen door and fiddled with keys while the torn screen and a well-intentioned piece of duct tape on it bounced around.

He walked inside, past cracked plaster, grimy walls and a spider web or two, into the small firetruck bay and looked around. He put his hand on the cream-colored tile-faced brick.

"This feels like a firehouse," he said. Back when firetrucks rolled in, the whole place -- even the sleeping area -- was filled with the smell of diesel fuel.

Just one reason to have a new firehouse.

Fire Station No. 3 has moved to its new location at 1975 N. Sprigg St. (Fred Lynch)

At 4 p.m. Tuesday, Ennis will welcome city officials and the public to tour the new station at 1975 N. Sprigg St.

The new location. also puts firefighters closer to the city's developing north side. It has room -- plenty of room -- for the bigger, wider firetrucks that were getting difficult to squeeze into the Emerald Street station.

Thursday morning at 1975 N. Sprigg St., three firefighters followed a daily routine, studying, checking equipment, waiting for the radio to summon them to the next emergency.

Joe Shuffler, in his third year as a firefighter, spent a lot of time in the Emerald Street building. Brian Hadler, in his first year on the job and studying to meet the requirements of his probation period, only spent a short time at the Emerald Street station. They simultaneously answered what won't be missed about the old place.

"Having to back in the truck," they said.

"Another guy won't miss having to wear a sock cap in the winter because it was so cold there," Shuffler added.

Not quite finished

Cape Girardeau's new fire station is big.

"It's so big you could fit the entire old station into the bay," said Ennis, gesturing toward a single-ladder truck parked inside the 15,000-square-foot building.

Since the second week of July, firefighters have been living and working in the new No. 3, even though it's not quite finished. Ennis walked across the expansive bay and disappeared into a small room under a storage deck. When the flooring and equipment are delivered and installed, it will be a workout room. Exercise equipment is far from being a luxury, Ennis said.

"The leading cause of death among firefighters is cardiac and stress-related incidents. Firefighters go from zero to 60 in 60 seconds," he said. "In the past, the emphasis was on brawn. We trained for strength, not cardiovascular fitness."

The fire department had contracted with the city to use Osage Community Centre's gym, but Ennis said it makes more sense to keep the firefighters close to the station while they are on duty.

Inside the station is a large kitchen, a small television room with three recliners and a set of bedrooms and bathrooms.

The station has state-of-the-art safety features, starting with an automatic sprinkler system. A separate heating and cooling system is designed to keep the diesel fumes out of the living space. The alarm system is set to turn on red lights at night to preserve firefighters' night vision and turn off the stove during the day.

"We want to protect the investment that taxpayers made in this facility, the apparatus and the people that work here," Ennis said.

Building costs rose above the $2.05 million construction estimate, said assistant fire chief Mark Hasheider, when underground rock hampered the basement excavation.

Hasheider is also Cape Girardeau's emergency operations coordinator. He moved to the fire station's basement, down 23 concrete steps, to the city's future 911 office. On an average day, operators will take calls and dispatch police, fire and other emergency workers.

Each of the six workstations are set up so wiring and equipment can be replaced or upgraded easily without a major overhaul, Hasheider said. Phone, computer and VHF lines have already been installed throughout the building, he said, for major emergencies.

In the basement, each room has a double purpose. Closets open into instant cubicles. A large conference room with a kitchen area becomes a situation room. The 911 supervisor's office would convert to a ham radio operators' room.

With all the transformations, the new No. 3 is anything but quaint.

"There's always nostalgia among firefighters," Ennis said, pointing to an old red sign, proclaiming "Fire Station No. 3" that was rescued from Emerald Street. It hangs above the door leading from the new bay to the firehouse. A pair of old exterior lights are being cleaned up before they get installed nearby.

During Tuesday's open house, Ennis and Mayor Jay Knudtson will perform a fire house opening ritual, uncoupling a fire hose. In years gone by, a truck was ceremoniously pushed into a new station, but the 35-ton vehicle currently being used will move under its own power.

There's only one way to get used to the newness of it all, Ennis said. "Time."

pmcnichol@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 127