New Fire House nears completion

ELVERSON - The month of October normally means the Twin Valley Fire Department begins preparations for the annual Halloween parade, during which both the fire department and Elverson Emergency Medical Services drive their vehicles through the streets of Elverson.

This year though, they will also be looking forward to the completion of their new building at the intersection of Routes 23 and 401. The project, which will include room for both the emergency services, has not met any major building problems, according to Ray Dymond, Jr., of Dymond Quality Builders, who are overseeing the project.

"We went through a tough winter but we got to stay on schedule," he said.

The TVFD has been helping to keep the project on task by volunteering for projects such as the radiant floor heating installation, which they determined was the most cost-effective way of heating the building.

"We laid around 20,000 feet of plastic hose throughout the entire footprint of the building. This will generate an even and constant source of heat in the building," said Corey Hostetler, Deputy Fire Chief and Tom Hornberger, Building Committee Chairman, in an e-mail.

By volunteering, the TVFD has also been able to reduce costs.

"Another project taken on by the members was the installation of all cable television wire, networking cables, and phone lines. We are lucky enough to have such a broad range of members at the department, where some of the volunteers have experience in this area," said Hostetler and Hornberger.

Another cost-saving measure has been reaching out to local contractors for work and supplys.

"We've had a lot of community support with local contractors working with us," said Dymond, who added that not only did this help keep the project local, but it created a huge savings for the project.

"Many of the contractors have donated either time, or material towards the project," said Hostetler and Hornberger.

Dymond said he got involved with the project because he had worked with the TVFD on previous projects and wanted to help out. As he has been working on the project though, he said his desire to help has only increased.

"We're a local firm so we want to support the volunteers," he explained. "I wanted to be able to help out and do what I could for the fire company. Before, I never really realized exactly how much time all of them invested in saving lives, including the time spent on training and the constant upkeep of the trucks. It's been a blessing to work with them."

The TVFD reciprocated this feeling, by saying "Ray Dymond has been a great asset to this project. He has always kept the best interests of the fire department in mind with this project. He has made changes to the building which saved us thousands of dollars. We wish we would have had him on board sooner."

"The other contractors have been great too. They are very receptive to the needs of the volunteers. Many of the contractors have donated either time, or material towards the project," Hostetler and Hornberger added.

The TVFD has said they are eager to move into the building and plan to do so quickly when the project is finished.

" We believe within a week of the buildings completion, we will take occupancy into the new station. The members are very excited for this tran

sition, and will be very motivated to begin the moving process," said Hostetler and Hornberger.

The two men explained the current buildings are inadequate and were not designed to house as many staff and volunteers as they have.

"We are completely out of room at the current firehouse, and the members are probably most anxious about having some breathing room. The new firehouse was built with the future in mind, and the current station, some portions of which was built in 1921, has been occupied way past its design," they said.

The new building will have room for the department to grow and will include areas like sleeping quarters for possible full-time staff or volunteers that wish to spend the night, a gym and multiple rooms for offices.

The TVFD is still looking for donations not only of money, but also of goods.

"Some things the fire department could use assistance with will be landscaping, and new computers for the firehouse," they said.

Story courtesy from the Tri County Newspaper

http://www.tricountyrecord.com/