Monday, Jul. 14, 2008

Crawford County building new fire stations

For decades, fire stations in Crawford County were simple metal sheds donated by farmers on private land scattered throughout the county.

The sheds served their purpose, but were just big enough to park a fire truck inside.

Soon, the county will have four purpose-built stations outfitted with engine bays and meeting rooms, said Crawford County Volunteer Fire Chief Randall Pate.

"We're updating what we've got and converting our sheds into fire stations," Pate said.

He said two stations are under construction on Carroll Road and Ga. 341 south. Another station located at 101 Marshall Mill Road was completed last year and a fourth on Pottery Road is in the planning stages and may also include an emergency medical services post.

Pate said construction on the two stations began about three months ago and he expects the buildings to be complete in another two to three months.

He said the stations are waiting on electrical wiring, plumbing, concrete and other finishing touches before they can open. "We've got a ways to go," Pate said.

Pate said land for the Marshall Mill Road and Carroll Road stations was donated with strings attached that fire stations be built on the land.

The station on Ga. 341 is being built on land already controlled by the Crawford County Development Authority, he said.

Land for the planned Pottery Road station was originally seized by the Crawford County Drug Task Force and was later donated to the fire department, he said.

Construction of the Carroll Road and Ga. 341 buildings has cost between $40,000 and $50,000 each, Pate said, adding SPLOST funds with supplements from firefighters' fundraisers have paid for the construction and furnishings.

Fundraiser money funded most of the Marshall Mill Road station, he said, adding very little county money was used.

Jerry Gibb, a firefighter assigned to the Marshall Mill Road station and Crawford County's Emergency Management Agency director, said he's seen a morale boost in the 56-volunteer department.

"Just to see progress being made is encouraging," Gibb said.

In his 20 years as a volunteer firefighter in Crawford County, Gibb said the trucks had to be pulled out of the small metal sheds anytime firefighters needed to perform regular maintenance on fire trucks or equipment.

He said the extra space at the new Marshall Mill Road station offers a cooler environment for firefighters to work.

"And it's a lot nicer to train in," he said.

To contact writer Amy Leigh Womack, call 744-4398.