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CLEAR Temp: 74 °F Wind: CLM at 0 mph Friday, July 18, 2003 SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA HomeLife Magazine W3 Magazine Jobs @ Mail Tribune Tempo A & E Oregon CarZone Wellness Connection Real Estate Newspaper in Education Prime Times Outdoor Journal Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find Everything E SOUTHERN OREGON Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar ABOUT US FAQ What's New Advertise Home Delivery Classified Ad Contact Us Media Kit Email Story to a Friend July 16, 2003 A crew from Dick�s Towing volunteered its time to deliver Ashland�s old fire engine to its new station Tuesday. The restored fire truck will be part of a mini-museum of the city�s firefighting history. Mail Tribune / Roy Musitelli Ashland’s new fire station opens The town’s restored 1913 fire truck will live in the museum By JOHN DARLING for the Mail Tribune ASHLAND — The new $4 million, 15,000-square-foot fire station opened Tuesday to receive its crown jewel: the town’s first fire engine, a 1913 American La France. The machine, found in an old barn and restored by Ashland bed-and-breakfast owner Duane Smith, will be housed in the station’s mini-museum of Ashland fire-fighting history: a glassy, two- story, slate-floored atrium with open-beam ceiling. In addition to the atrium, the new brick building, built by Adroit Construction of Ashland, features offices and classrooms, a kitchen and dining room, modern communications room, a four-bay garage to house four fire trucks and four other vehicles, upstairs dorms and a pole for firefighters to slide down on their way to fires. "It’s stainless steel, not brass," said Fire Chief Keith Woodley. "It was cheaper that way." Advertisement Ashland’s old red convertible fire engine was built in Elmira, N.Y., sent by rail to Portland and, in 1913, was driven here, where it served until 1938. It was used by Talent firefighters after that. Surrounding the engine will be displays of old photos and firefighting gear, such as bugles and badges, assembled by the Southern Oregon Historical Society, Southern Oregon University and local historian Kay Atwood. Firefighters are moving into their new digs this week after occupying the city street department offices on B Street and Mountain Avenue during construction. Firefighters will answer calls on a state-of-the-art communications system, featuring a "tapout controller" that automatically puts all systems into emergency mode, turning on dorm lights and even shutting down the kitchen’s gas range so it’s not left on when firefighters dash off to action. The new station is being paid for by voter-approved bonds. A rectangular building wedged onto a small triangular building lot, it replaced an antiquated, 50-year-old station that had been converted from a gas station. The Blue Mountain, a popular cafe, had to be condemned and torn down to provide enough space — ¾ acre total — for the station. The average lot for firehouses of this size is twice that, Woodley noted. The new station features a significant invention of Woodley’s — an elevator rack that lifts wet hose up into the two-story hose tower, instead of requiring firefighters to climb up and pull the hose. Woodley said the public likes the looks of the building, the design of which had to pass a citizen review committee. It echoes the town’s turn-of-the century railroad depot a few blocks down Fourth Street, he said. Town firefighters and Woodley designed the inside, which was laid out by architects Peck, Smiley and Etlin of Portland. The new station at East Main Street and Siskiyou Boulevard covers the town west of Mountain Avenue. The area east of Mountain is handled by Fire Station No. 2, located on Highway 66. An outmoded structure built in 1966, it is scheduled for replacement in 2005 at a cost of $2.5 million. John Darling is a free-lance writer living in Ashland. E-mail him at [email protected]. Printer Friendly Version Email Story to a Friend Subscribe Archive: Click to Search Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2003 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback A D V E R T I S E R S SPECIAL SECTIONS Rogue Valley Auto Finder Rogue Valley Job Finder --> Rogue Valley Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Real Estate Showcase Food for Thought Hike of the Week Wellness Connection Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Openings Prime Times