Volunteer department's $650,000 building creates training space, room for six engines
ROCKPORT - The Rockport Volunteer Fire Department used to scrounge around the county in search of houses, warehouses and other facilities to use as obstacle courses for training.
Now the department has space for its own obstacle course, and the firefighters don't have to leave their fire station to use it.
City and county officials gathered around the new Rockport Central Fire Station Wednesday as it was officially dedicated to the volunteer fire department.
The fire station cost about $650,000, with $450,000 coming from the Rockport Volunteer Fire Department's portion of the utility bill surcharge, known as the "fire fund," and the balance from the city of Rockport's general fund.
The two-story station is about 7,600 square feet and includes larger meeting rooms than the previous station, more storage space and room for six fire engines, with access to the engine bays from both the front and the rear of the building.
The building's second story is a reserved training space where fire fighters will scatter student desks and chairs and will eventually prop portable walls to create obstacle courses for the 41-member squad to practice rescue missions.
It even has three windows that will allow the volunteers to practice climbing ladders with their equipment.
"I've bought a window pane or two because we wound up breaking a window, but now I have my own windows up there," said Fire Chief Mitch Ammons. "If we break something, it's mine."
Built on the corner of Concho and Ann streets, the new station can be expanded to accommodate more engine bays to meet future need, said Rockport City Manager Tom Blazek.
The old station, built in the early 1970s, had rusted beams, poor lighting and leaky roofs.
It should be demolished soon, Ammons said.
"In the old building, repairs had been made on it throughout the years.
"Over the years the building had been band-aided and it was at the point where it couldn't be rehabilitated," he said.
Gary Smith, who has worked with the volunteer fire department for 48 years, said the new building will boost morale among the department.
"The biggest difference is the fire department designed this building," Smith said. "The old building, we just moved into a building they already had."
The volunteer fire department serves Aransas County and Rockport, and has aid agreements with about 10 other stations, stretching from Portland to Refugio.
"By and large, the building is good and it will serve us well," Ammons said. "It looked good today."
Contact Lety Laurel at 886-3716 or laurell@caller.com
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