Fire station to add room for training

When North Charleston's fire department holds training classes for new recruits or any of its other 192 firefighters at its Cross County Road fire station, up to 30 extra people in a cramped space puts a crimp on those on-duty members who might be trying to rest or get some work done.

"If there is a class going on, there is very small living space," said Assistant Fire Chief Bill Streuber.

The city plans to solve that problem by building more room.

Work should begin this fall on constructing a separate facility beside the fire station to house classrooms, a kitchen and bathroom so trainees won't interfere with on-duty firefighters. The size has not been determined, but it will cost about $237,000, said Blaine Deas, an engineer with the city's Public Works Department.

"We also wanted a couple of offices, a library to keep videos and reference materials and a small printing room," Streuber said. "It will be self-sufficient. There will be no need for them to go into the fire station."

The city recently contracted with Coast Architects for $40,000 for design and contract administration services to construct the fire training facility at Station No. 4, which sits behind the Charleston County magistrate's office and an EMS station.

The contract includes design not only for the facility, but for parking, fencing and access driveways.

Work is expected to take about six months, Deas said, so it should be completed by spring 2009.

Reach Warren Wise at 745-5850 or wwise@postandcourier.com.