Puddlejumper's 2010 Summer Firehouse challenge

[Puddlejumper]

The firehouse I work at is one of the busiest in the nation, it doesn't leave us much time for extra curricular activity. Our drills, clean ups, meals, morning work out, etc. are all usually interrupted by alarms, to the point that sometimes you don't even reap the intended benefit of the drill or work out because the interruptions were too numerous. One of the guys did the math last year, between the Battalion Chief, Engine Co., Truck Co., and Ambulance we had 17,700 responses, for an average of one response for a unit in our house every 29 minutes.

No progress on the firehouse to report, but the Firehouse Magazine national run survey came out today and has my firehouse as #5 in the nation. Last year we ran 18,816 runs, for an average of one run every 27 minutes.

[Gary S]

I am flabbergasted! man, no rest for the weary! Soon as you get back, time to go again... :?

[Puddlejumper]

Ok, well I am no where near ready for the judging, but I am changing direction with this build anyway. I am withdrawing my build from the challenge.

I was going to build this firehouse as a stand alone structure, but have decided to instead build it in between high rise buildings. Here are a couple of pics of Metropolitan Hook and Ladder Co. No. 1, now a privately owned building used by a small business.



A nice looking old building, It survives as the only remaining evidence in this block of a bygone era. It is now surrounded by high rise buildings on 3 sides. To the right of the building on the right is an alley that leads to a private parking lot, named Hook and Ladder Alley.





And a roof view...



I plan on putting a tall chain link fence along the front of the roof/parapet, and a basketball court on the roof, so the firemen have a place to do recreational physical training.