The Berwyn Fire Company completed construction of its new station at 23 Bridge Ave. this September. The planning process began in 2020 and construction started in 2024 as the Berwyn Fire Company, Tredyffrin Township, Easttown Township, Rep. Melissa Shusterman, Sen. Carolyn Comitta and Rep. Chrissy Houlahan combined efforts to finish it.
Andrew Emory, president of the Berwyn Fire Company, feels that the new fire station is beneficial to the staff because of its improved housing and facilities.
“I think the community should be very proud of the station that was built and the investment by the townships and the station,” Emory said. “As we continue to grow as a fire company, it’s going to provide our firefighters just a great place to live and work.”
The reconstructed fire station is approximately 20,000 square feet and cost an estimated $10.5 million to construct. It features four apparatus bays, which are garage areas for emergency vehicles to be stored; improved living conditions for staff; an emergency operations center; and safeguards to prevent personnel carcinogen exposure.
The Berwyn Fire Company built its old fire station in 1929. The building had problems with vehicle storage, as fire fighters had difficulty maneuvering the fire engines into the apparatus bays and had to back them in diagonally.
The new station has four larger apparatus bays that provide enough space for the engines and ambulances, as well as the possibility of getting more equipment and vehicles, according to Emory. In addition, the station features a larger emergency operations center to ensure more efficient communication during emergency responses.
The fire station also has new protections for its firefighters against carcinogen exposure, as carcinogens from fires can contaminate their clothes. Previously, the fire station had exhaust mitigation systems in the apparatus bays to help remove exhaust from engines and ambulances from the building.
The new fire station still has an exhaust system, along with new red, yellow and green zones to further prevent carcinogen exposure.
The red zone is for firefighters to wash and store their clothes. It is a physically separate room with its own ventilation system to ensure contaminated air is restricted to the red zone. The yellow zone creates a transition space for firefighters to change, while the green zone is safe for everyone.
Mike Wacey, a supervisor of Easttown Township, appreciates these new carcinogen procedures for improving the station’s safety.
“When a firefighter comes back from a fire, they are coated in small particles. These little particles can over time cause cancer or respiratory distress,” Wacey said. “So having (the station) split into red, yellow and green (zones) really helps to make the firehouse a safer place for everybody.”
In addition, the station had outdated and compact living quarters for staff and volunteers. Previously, there was only one shower in the fire station and shared bunks for the men and women. The new station has multiple showers and bathrooms, as well as additional bunking facilities. It also includes an enhanced training area and expanded gym in the basement.
While workers reconstructed the fire station, the Berwyn Fire Company operated from its other station at 1485 Valley Forge Road. It bought two houses on 737 Berwyn Ave. behind the station for additional staff living space. The Berwyn Fire Company set up two tents in the houses’ driveways for a fire engine and two ambulances.
Wacey appreciates the firefighters’ newly improved living quarters after the reconstruction.
“I think the most rewarding part is seeing that these people, the firefighters and EMS people, who literally save people’s lives every day, have a reasonable place to spend their time. Right now, they’re in tents, they’re in houses that are falling apart,” Wacey said. “So I will really enjoy seeing them in an environment that is safe and gives them the ability to do the job that I know they do an excellent job at.”
Sophia Cui can be reached at [email protected].
