The new Headquarters for the Wheeling Fire Department is nearing completion! This new facility will replace the former Headquarters, which was located beneath the Centre Market parking garage. That building has since been demolished, with its last day of operation on Valentine’s Day, 2024. During construction of the new HQ, the vehicles and personnel previously stationed at HQ were temporarily reassigned to other fire stations.
I had the opportunity to tour the new facility with Chief Blazier and learn how the new Headquarters will support the Wheeling Fire Department and better serve the Wheeling community.
Large Bay Area
We entered the Headquarters building through the large bay area which will become the home for the larger vehicles such as the ladder trucks, fire engines, and squads.
Chief Blazier noted that this portion of the fire station will be considered the “dirty side” which will keep exhaust fumes, contaminants, trucks, and gear separated from the “clean side.” This is in effort to keep carcinogens separated from the living quarters, working areas, and areas that are open to the public.
Training Area & Hose Tower
On the right side of the large bay, there is a new training area where they will be able to do various types of drills such as rope and rescue training, hose advancement, and ladder training. There are also training windows where they will be able to practice extracting victims and or firefighters. The tallest part of the tower is where they will be able to hang hose to dry.
Near the training area, there is a new gear locker where turnout gear and various other types of gear and equipment will be kept in a separate room to reduce exposure to contaminants in living spaces.
Decon Room
Moving through the station, before leaving the “dirty side” of the building, there is a Decon Room. This area will feature a large sauna, an eye wash station, and a spacious shower. After being exposed to harmful chemicals, carcinogens, and other contaminants, firefighters can use the sauna to sweat out toxins, followed by a thorough shower to wash away the toxins.
“I used to go into a fire and smell the smoke on my body for three days,” Chief Blazier commented.
With increasing awareness of the cancer-causing chemicals firefighters face on the job, the Decon Room was added to help reduce long-term health risks by minimizing bodily exposure.
Safe Haven Baby Box and Officer’s Quarters
Next, we walked across the smaller bay area which will house the Duty Chief vehicle and the other smaller vehicles used by the Fire Department.
From there, we moved into the building. The first item Chief Blazier pointed out was the new location for the Safe Haven Baby Box. To learn more about the Safe Haven Baby Box, click the link here.
Chief of Wheeling Fire Department Office
The Headquarters building is the location for the Admin personnel of the Fire Department, including the Training Chief, Investigations, Inspections, Chief of W.F.D., and the secretary for the Chief.
The office for the Chief of W.F.D. will now include a bunk room. This will be especially useful in times of major events.
“During the recent flooding, I went home around 5:00 A.M., had a quick nap, and was back to work shortly after. This new bunk room would have allowed me to stay in my office and get about 20 more minutes of sleep” Chief Blazier said.
The Chief’s office is connected to the conference room as well as the Chief’s Assistant’s office.
Living Quarters
The new bunk rooms are located only a few steps away from the large bay area, giving firefighters direct access to their gear and the fire trucks when an alarm sounds in the middle of the night.
More Key Features
Additional key features of the building include a kitchen, living area, workout room, and industrial-grade washing machine. The Wheeling Fire Department operates on a “California Swing Shift” schedule which means firefighters are on shift for 24 hours at a time. Therefore, W.F.D. fire stations double as living quarters for firefighters.
Thank you, Wheeling Fire Department!
Our community is incredibly fortunate to have such a great Fire Department. As we have seen in recent events, the men and women at the Wheeling Fire Department are an incredible asset to our community.
This new facility is truly impressive and will greatly enhance the W.F.D. ‘s ability to serve the public. Chief Blazier noted that they are hoping to move into the new building in July.
Thank you, Wheeling Fire Department for all that you do to serve the community!
