They drive the engines, rescue people, put out fires and know CPR. They have to be prepared for anything — a car under water, a person in cardiac arrest, or a family trapped inside a burning building. Or it could be a false alarm. Meet the Island's call firefighters.
The walls came down on the old Tisbury fire station on Beach street in Vineyard Haven Wednesday morning. So did the roof.
Town crews did the work as the first part of the demolition project, Tisbury town administrator John (Jay) Grande said.
“It’s very critical that we at least get phase one done and get down to the [cement] slab,” he said. In June, the slab will be removed and the space will be graded and prepared for a temporary gravel parking lot.
In February of 1958, the Tisbury fire department rushed in freshly polished trucks to extinguish the first fire call from the new station on Beach street. Last week the fire department made its last run from the fire station. For pizza.
Around the Vineyard, the number of volunteer firefighters serving
their communities is falling.
Ten years ago, the Tisbury fire department was running with a full
complement of 51 volunteer firefighters. Today the number has dropped to
41.
Three years ago, the Chilmark fire department boasted a full staff
of 38 volunteers. Today the number of firefighters responding to a call
is almost half of that.
Age, conditioning and skill do not necessarily run in tandem. In that light, the Tisbury selectmen should reconsider their decision to enforce a mandatory retirement age of sixty five for members of the town’s volunteer fire department.
State law mandates that uniformed members of paid fire departments retire in the month that they turn sixty five. But many men and women of that age are still in peak health; some may even be healthier than they were at a younger age.
Tisbury firefighters quickly extinguished a fire outside 54 Main street on Sunday evening that started in a trash can behind the building. Owned by Larry Levine, the building houses the Peter Simon and Louisa Gould galleries.
The fire was first reported by Ms. Gould, who was in her gallery and smelled smoke just after 8 p.m. and called 911.
The new Tisbury fire station, also known as the emergency services facility (ESF), will open in July according to building committee chairman Joe Tierney. The building was originally slated to open last July, and its opening date has been pushed back a number of times due to construction flaws and ongoing negotiations with the project’s architect and its contractors about payment. In February Mr. Tierney announced that the building would open April 1.
In a few weeks, Sundays won’t be the same for Tisbury volunteer firefighters. The fire department plans to move into the new $5.5 million emergency services facility next to the Tisbury School on April 1.
While the new, spacious facility contains state-of-the-art technology and public safety equipment, there will be a bit of sentimental sadness among the firemen moving out of the old fire station. That feeling will be felt especially for those who have enjoyed many breakfasts on Sunday at the station, even though the Sunday morning breakfasts will continue.
