Slovan Volunteer Fire Department’s new firehouse now complete after lockers installed
Katherine Mansfield/Observer-Reporter
Slovan Volunteer Fire Department’s new fire house sits back from Smith Township State Road. Ground broke in 2018, and the department moved into its new space earlier this month.
Katherine Mansfield/Observer-Reporter
The new Slovan fire house easily fits all six of the VFD’s vehicles, including a new fire engine, far left.
Katherine Mansfield/Observer-Reporter
New equipment lockers house volunteer firefighters’ gear inside Slovan Volunteer Fire Department’s fire house. Both the fire house and the lockers were purchased using grant money from Energy Transfer’s First Responders Fund.
Katherine Mansfield/Observer-Reporter
Slovan Volunteer Fire Department’s new fire house is home to all six fire vehicles and brand-new equipment storage lockers. The lockers were delivered last week.
Katherine Mansfield/Observer-Reporter
Chief Brandon Kriznik, center-left check-holder, and the Slovan Volunteer Fire Department accept a grant from Energy Transfer, represented by Christopher Koop, second from right. The grant money was used to purchase new equipment lockers.
Members of Slovan Volunteer Fire Department gathered Tuesday evening in the new firehouse along Smith Township State Road, from where they’ve responded to calls since the beginning of the month.
The firefighters gathered for a first look at the building’s new lockers – a finishing touch on a project to create a new firehouse, which had been in the works since 2018.
“We were hanging stuff on the walls,” said Chief Brandon Kriznik, who is entering his 23rd year leading the department, of the new lockers. “There was nothing really to keep the boots up off the floor.”
The red lockers, which sparkled in the bright overhead lights, offer plenty of room for gear storage, including a shelf for helmets and boots. The lockers sit near the firehouse’s door, which opens into an airy bay that easily houses the department’s six vehicles, including a new fire engine and rescue engine paid for through sales of other trucks and community donations.
The lockers were paid for through a donation from Energy Transfer. Christopher Koop, public affairs specialist for the company, presented the volunteer staff with a $9,379 check Tuesday evening.
The new firehouse is a spacious, stately red building. It’s an upgrade for the department, which operated for decades out of an 80-year-old building just down the road.
For Lina Bologna, Slovan Volunteer Fire Department treasurer, the new location is priceless. The former firehouse sat only a couple feet off the main road, which made pulling engines out of the bay difficult, especially when considering school bus and gas well truck traffic.
“It just wasn’t safe for anybody anymore,” Bologna said.
Ground broke on the new fire house in 2018. The new lockers arrived last week.
Both projects were funded through grants from Energy Transfer’s First Responders Fund.
“We’re a big pipeline company. Here locally, we’ve been very busy over the past decade building several major pipeline systems,” said Koop. “Training with Slovan-Smith Township and other assets supporting first responder organizations has become a real priority for us.”
During a period of capitol growth, Koop said, the company decided it was time to start giving back.
“The thing we kept hearing from folks like volunteer fire departments is … how much the stuff that they need is costing these days,” said Koop, who added equipment “has just become so critically expensive.”
Energy Transfer’s First Responder Fund helps alleviate costs so first responders can focus on their mission. The check presented Tuesday was the second grant awarded to Slovan Volunteer Fire Department in four years.
The first, a $50,000 award for the new firehouse, was awarded in 2018. Bologna wrote both grants.
“The reason why Smith Township-Slovan continues to be successful is not only because of the training relationship that we have, but it’s also due to the strength and the merit of the grant applications that they’re putting together,” Koop said.
Kriznik said lockers were badly needed, and the department was grateful to Energy Transfer for both grants and their partnership.
Together, the two organizations conduct an annual safety training, and Energy Transfer is transparent with the fire department, Kriznik said.
“Anything that goes on at the plant, they keep us updated,” said Kriznik. “There’s no surprises with them. Anything that goes on up there that they think we slightly need to know, they don’t hold anything back.”
Kriznik said the partnership and grants reach more than the department’s 38 active members.
“What they’ve done really helps the community out,” he said.