New fire station opens

New fire station opens

April 05, 2007

East Side community activist Paul Barnum said a new firehouse on Boston Avenue symbolizes the revitalization of the East Side.

"Our neighborhood is coming back," said Barnum, who has long been involved in efforts to improve a section of the city that in recent decades has suffered from high crime and an abundance of vacant buildings.

"The firefighters are our first line of defense," said Barnum, one of the speakers at a dedication ceremony for the new $2.5 million fire station near Helen Street.

The facility for Engine and Ladder Co. 10 was built adjacent to Luis Munoz Marin School so firefighters could watch over children playing in the school playground and surrounding park.

The new fire station replaces the Putnam Street firehouse, originally built to serve horse-drawn apparatus when it opened in 1913. The old facility had cobblestone floors and a hayloft, later converted into locker rooms.

Mayor John M. Fabrizi said the new firehouse will benefit the neighborhood while helping firefighters do their job more effectively.

"There is a big difference between going there and coming here - the difference between night and day," Fabrizi said.

Fabrizi said his four years as mayor have taught him about the bravery of firefighters. "These firefighters are rushing in to save lives when other people are running away," he said.

The Boston Avenue facility is the first new firehouse built in Bridgeport since 1980. Engine 10 is the busiest fire company in the city.

The new fire station has 10 private bedrooms, a kitchen with a six-burner stove, a modern locker room with a special circulation system, weight room, and large garage with four bay doors. Public bathrooms are attached to the firehouse for people in the adjoining park to use.

Fabrizi said the building was built to last, with a pitched roof for lower maintenance, an underground heating and air-conditioning system, and movable tailpipe hoses to prevent vehicle emissions from harming fire personnel.

The building also has unique cage lockers to allow firefighters' wet gear to dry.

Fire Chief Brian P. Rooney said firefighters have been protecting the surrounding neighborhood for more than a century by suppressing fires and helping with car accidents, home lock-outs, water leaks, electrical problems "and, yes, even childbirths when called on."

Rooney, a 35-year department veteran, said he was first impressed with Engine Co. 10 when he spent a short time working with the crew as a young firefighter.

"They were like a crew of steelworkers; everyone had a job, and they worked 24 hours a day," he said.

Deputy Fire Chief Robert Petrucelli said while technology, upgraded equipment and better training have brought improvements during his 30 years with the department, what hasn't changed is the camaraderie and commitment of the firefighters.

Petrucelli had been assigned to the Putnam Street firehouse at the beginning of his career.

Next goal: new library

East Side leaders now hope the city will build a new library branch near the firehouse, park and school.

The current East Side library, called Old Mill Green Branch, is in a rented storefront at East Main Street and Boston Avenue.

City Council member Maria I. Valle said the new public facilities on the East Side are part of a "vision" that was created based on community input. A community center also may be built as part of the project.

Council President Andres Ayala Jr. of the East Side said the library, when built, "will complete the puzzle."

Another East Side resident active in revitalization efforts, Aidee Nieves, said the firehouse would be a safe haven for a neighborhood on the upswing. "It's been a long journey," she said.

Barnum, a descendent of P.T. Barnum who has been particularly active in the Washington Park area, said the new firehouse makes him glad he decided not to move out of the East Side during the worst of times.

"Welcome to the historic East Side neighborhood," he said with pride at the dedication ceremony. "I've spent my whole life here."

The Putnam Avenue fire station now may be turned into a museum for the Bridgeport Firefighters Historical Society and a fire-safety education center for city children.