PASADENA, Md. — Today, there was a grand opening for a new fire station in Anne Arundel County.
This "grand opening" has emphasis on the "grand." The old station was less than 5,000 square feet and this new one is state of the art and more than 12,000 square feet.
Firefighting is one of the most stressful jobs in America. Having a new building helps relieve some of that stress.
"There's places where people can go and do their own personal well-being tactics, and some physical fitness. A little bit of alone time. Either that or sitting around the coffee table and talking with other firefighters to kind of decrease that amount of stress," said one firefighter.
The old fire station was an elementary school converted to take firefighters and then eventually policeman as well. This one was designed and built to be a fire station.
"It was created just for us. We have a training room that we can use, there's workout equipment that we can use. It houses people more effectively. We're just better able to respond to the community needs," said one firefighter.
The fire station is in the same location where the old one was, on Mountain Road in Pasadena. Not only will the new equipment help the community to be safe, the firefighters are safer as well. After fire fighting, you might be exposed to harsh chemicals.
Now, they have a place to separate their gear from where they live and a place to wash that gear that may be contaminated.
"There's a specialized room where that gear gets contained in lockers that they have. There's a complete ventilation system that helps it off gas and ventilate, not into common living areas," said one firefighter.
A new fire station to help firefighters protect the community and a fire station that protects its firefighters.
