LYNN – The Fayette Street Fire Station closed last Tuesday to undergo a multi-million-dollar renovation and addition over the next 12 months. It was estimated that the total project cost is $6.9 million, according to the mayor’s office.
A temporary fire station was built at 19 Porter St. on the property of the former Thurgood Marshall Middle School. Engine Co. 5 and Ladder Co. 1 will be housed at the new temporary station, and H-1 will be temporarily moved to Tower Hill with Engine Co. 9.
This temporary station is a few blocks from the current station, and while there is a transition period as members get used to their new quarters, fire protection services were not interrupted. Lt. Denis Ring emphasized that fire services “never went out of service.”
“The members are looking forward to a station that meets their current needs. A firehouse is essentially a second home for us, and having a building that is brought up to modern-day standards improves our health and morale,” Ring said.
Ring added cancer and other health concerns would be alleviated by renovating the Fayette Street Fire Station.
“With cancer levels in the fire service across the country being so high and the ongoing nationwide cancer prevention movement due to deadly carcinogens on our gear, having a modern, up-to-date station that separates the living quarters from the apparatus and gear area is a great improvement,” Ring said. “That – along with a new HVAC ventilation system, the industrial gear washers and dryers, and updated vehicle exhaust systems for the fire trucks – can certainly help that cause.
“Unfortunately, cancer is always something we constantly worry about in the back of our minds, so this building being brought up-to-date like this helps improve our health and safety and can be utilized for many years to come. We are happy the City sees the need for this as well, and we look forward to the finished product.”
Lynn Fire Department wrote that mutual aid companies coming into the city should use 19 Porter St. as their new cover assignment for Fayette Street.
