By Dave Fidlin
Correspondent
Discussion of adding dormitory facilities onto one of the Village of Waterford’s two fire stations continues to move through a variety of exploratory channels.
The Village Board on April 10 reviewed a proposal from design and consulting firm The Garrett Studio. The company has proposed developing plans for the dorm add-on at Fire Station No. 2.
Garrett’s quote includes a capped proposal to spend up to 30 hours on the planning at an hourly rate of $80. The total price tag, if approved, would come in at $2,400.
No formal action was taken on Garrett’s quote. It is an outgrowth of a seemingly routine capital expense — installing a fire suppression system within department facilities.
Earlier this year, Fire Chief Rick Mueller said the fire suppression system under review could tie into long-term planning at the village’s Fire Station No. 2, where a possible dormitory for in-training firefighters has been under consideration.
If the dorm plan does move forward, the logic is the fire suppression system would be installed in concert with the addition because of the intrinsic nature of the work.
Mueller, who last year forged a relationship with several higher-education institutions, including Gateway Technical College, said on-the-job training accommodations could help the Waterford Fire Department, which typically hires part-time professionals.
Mirroring a scenario in other communities, Mueller has broached with the board the idea of having dorm facilities at one of the fire stations. Students trained for certification as firefighters and paramedics could live within one of the firehouses, in exchange for other incidentals.
“It buys (the village) a long-term employee,” Mueller said in February. “You will have a regular, consistent base of people who will be responding to calls.”
In a report at the April 10 meeting, Village Administrator Rebecca Ewald said time is of the essence for the fire suppression system, based on a bidding process.
Camosy, the firm selected in a February bidding process, had a 60-day window for the work, but has granted the village an extension through early June. The board will likely need to make a decision on or before early June since labor rates are expected to increase at that point.
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