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***image1***A two-year renovation was completed as Fire Station No. 4 reopened Oct. 19 on post at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center.
The remodeled facility, located on Munson Circle, features two large bays where fire trucks will park, a pair of fully-equipped break rooms, a kitchen, training rooms, showers and bathrooms, washers and driers, plus assorted other amenities.
The station usually has a six-person staff of firefighters on duty and each will have a separate bunk room.
“That’s one of the changes from how it was in the old building, which was built back in the 1950s,” said Peter Stuhlmueller, civilian deputy fire chief. “This whole project was done for $750,000 so we’re happy to have so much.”
The new fire station was built by the U.S. Air Force, which owns other buildings on Landstuhl post including base housing structures and the Ramstein Inn buildings.
“If we didn’t have this new station, we’d be depending on Ramstein and Vogelweh when situations arose,” said Senior Master Sgt. Rudy Gonzales, Air Force deputy fire chief. “We already had Station No. 8 at the heliport, but they mainly would cover only fires that happen with helicopters or with buildings out there behind the satellite station.”
***image2***Landstuhl fire personnel have remained on duty for the past two years, keeping their equipment and trucks under a makeshift tent near the post’s elementary and middle schools. A group of 14 active duty Air Force firefighters is augmented by 14 German civilians to provide staffing at the No. 4 station.
“The same is true at Station No. 8,” said Fire Prevention chief Jake Mathews. “There are 28 more people available to staff that station and any of these firefighters might be assigned another duty station, on any given day, at Vogelweh or Ramstein or wherever.”
There are approximately 240 firefighters spread around base stations in the KMC and half of them are German nationals. All base stations have a working arrangement to assist off-base fire houses situated throughout the region. German-operated fire trucks can and will be called off-base when emergency situations arise.
“We have a mutual aid agreement with all of the local firefighters and we are routinely doing joint exercises and drills,” station chief Paul Wagner said. “When you realize that this is the only Magnetic Imaging Resonance machine at a hospital in Europe, for instance, we must make sure we are able to get more help if we need it.”
The new design at Fire Station No. 4 allows for six individual bunk rooms with closets and desk space. Firefighters working at the old facility had to share rooms. There are also matching break rooms, with German television hooked up in one and AFN satellite capability in the other.
“The guys will go back and forth between them, I think,” Mr. Mathews said. “Firefighters are like a big family. You get to know each other and each other’s families. These guys all enjoy spending time with one another. We are a close group. All fire houses are that way.”
