Progress on Peru Fire Station renovation/addition

PERU | Building renovation and additions at the Peru Volunteer Fire Department fire station have been a work in progress since July. Demolition was completed over summer to remove all wooden framework, HVAC, insulation, old walls, plumbing and wiring. Rising over a concrete foundation form, the skeletal frame reaches closer to Bear Swamp Road.The addition extends the fire station 40 feet into what used to be the front parking lot. Key site work involves installation of proper drainage behind the building to prevent ponding and water buildup in the back bay garage area. On a crisp October morning, firefighter/Advanced Emergency Medical Technician and former Peru Fire Chief Brian Westover showed the Sun how construction has progressed, pointing to newly installed plumbing and wiring infrastructure that will provide decontamination showers and a washer and dryer for bunker gear. Toxins from smoke, soot and fire debris pose health hazards to firefighters and this addition is an essential safety aspect of the addition. "The square frames on the floor are for drains in the showers," he said. Cement has been cut away from the old flooring, and work crews were installing new pipes for the reconfigured layout. "They will be replacing parts of the cement floor they had to dig up for plumbing," Westover said. In front, steel frames outline placement of five new bay doors. "We're at the same number of bays across the front. We are just further forward toward the road," Westover said. The front exit/entrance was configured to improve access for fire response vehicles. At about this time next year, the Peru Volunteer Fire Department anticipates delivery of a new fire engine, which was purchased with proceeds from the sale of an older engine. "It worked out well with the engine we did sell, because it freed up bay space," Westover said. Peru Fire has been able to keep much of their apparatus at the station in the back garage that was not demolished. "It's all here with the exception of two trucks. It's pretty packed in here," Westover said, opening the door to show trucks parked close together. "The only thing that's not here is a brush truck. Keeseville has it in their station for us. And our rescue truck is being stored at the Town of Peru Highway Garage." The back garage left in place will eventually hold the fire department's brush trucks and support vehicles. Drainage pipes have been laid in a trench along the entire building's length in back to draw water away from the back entrance. "There is a drain that will be going in front of the doors," Westover said. "They already put the pipe underground to take the water around the building. Water here has been a big issue." The back section of the building will not get new aluminum siding, but it will be repainted to match new siding on the 40-foot extension out front. A new parking lot for firefighters will be added next to the McDonald's restaurant property, near the personnel entrance. Contractors working on the fire station include L.H. Plante Co, from Plattsburgh, on HVAC and plumbing, and Triangle Electrical Systems of Plattsburgh. The General Contractor is Con Tech Building Systems based in Gouverneur. The $6.6 million Peru Volunteer Fire Department station renovation and addition was approved by fire district voters in May. It will add 5,900 square feet of room for equipment, training and personnel operations in addition to important decontamination and ventilation improvements for firefighter safety. Construction is on schedule, anticipating completion in April 2027.

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Progress on Peru Fire Station renovation/addition

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