Gilbert Fire & Rescue Department Chief Rob Duggan can tick off the many ways the department’s spaces are falling short of what is needed.
Store rooms are being used for offices. A truck bay converted into a workout room, where firefighters are exposed to diesel exhaust. Mechanics having to work on trucks outside in the heat, sometimes to the point of suffering heat-related illness. Not enough bedrooms in stations. Not enough showers for female firefighters.
“Essentially this station was built in 1999 and was not built with build-out in mind,” Duggan said while showing a picture of Station 4 to Gilbert Town Council members at a workshop this month. “We need to accommodate the today's needs of Gilbert, let alone in the future.”
