Fire station undergoes upgrades

Dannevirke’s fire station is getting seismic strengthening and internal upgrades after more than a decade-long wait.

Upgrades to the station includes seismic strengthening of the main appliance bay and east wing, specific dirty-to-clean transition zones, a purpose-built training room and upgrades to the ablution pods and roof.

The project is expected to cost $500,000, with workers breaking ground last week to bring the 30-year-old building up to standard.

Chief fire officer Pete Sinclair put in a request to Fire and Emergency New Zealand for the work in 2008, but with budget restraints and the earthquakes that struck Christchurch in 2010 and 2011, resources were diverted to other priorities. ‘‘It wasn’t impacting our turnout, it was just generally very cramped,’’ he said.

The station hosts more than 30 volunteers, making training sessions tight in their current quarters.

Internal walls in the station’s training room will be removed to accommodate the rise in volunteers and increase the area’s usability, Sinclair said.

‘‘The brigade is bigger than it used to be and our current facilities are quite small. The training room was also a funny-shaped training room, so it’s going to be bigger.’’

The fire trucks will relocate outside as works continue in the station, but that will not affect the crew’s ability to attend call outs, he said.

The building also suffers a leaky roof, which Sinclair hopes will be resolved with the renovations.

Area manager Ken Cooper said the new station will be a purpose-built facility. ‘‘The upgrades will improve the fire station’s resilience and enable the station to be a hub for the Dannevirke community.’’