The Rock Community Fire Protection District is using temporary quarters to house staff at one of its fire stations.
Chief Kevin Wingbermuehle said the district rented two office trailers from United Rental to allow Rock Fire to reopen House 4. The station, 3889 Miller Road southwest of Arnold, was closed Nov. 14 because of mold issues.
Wingbermuehle said the trailers were delivered on Dec. 22, and firefighters started using the temporary quarters on Dec. 27.
He said Rock Fire will pay about $1,800 per month for the trailers.
Rock Fire Board of Director members had voted unanimously Dec. 7 to spend up to $2,500 per month to rent trailers so House 4 could be reopened.
“When considering the safety of our community, reopening the station far outweighs the cost of the temporary housing,” Wingbermuehle said.
Before the trailers were delivered crews who typically are stationed at House 4 worked out of House 5 at 3749 Telegraph Road in Arnold, which is less than 3 miles from House 4.
Wingbermuehle said House 4 covers the areas along Old Lemay Ferry Road from Pomme Road to Seckman Road; along Seckman Road from Old Lemay Ferry Road to Prairie Hollow Road; along the West Outer Road from Vogel Road to Miller Road; and along Vogel Road from Richardson Road to Miller Road.
The fire district covers Arnold, Kimmswick and parts of Imperial and Barnhart. It has five houses, including two in Arnold, two in the Arnold area and one in Imperial.
“Having the station staffed is crucial to quick and efficient response, life safety and hazard mitigation,” Wingbermuehle said. “Our firefighters want to be back in ‘their’ station. It’s their home away from home, and they will easily adjust to the temporary modifications.”
Because of the winter weather, the trailers will be set up inside the House 4 bay.
“This is very important,” Wingbermuehle said. “Not only does this approach help to minimize the impact (of weather conditions) on our firefighters, but housing the crews inside the building leads to more efficient and effective operations.”
The trailers are not equipped with plumbing, but the district worked with Wachter Construction of Arnold, the company overseeing the mold remediation, to allow access to the station’s facilities during the project, Wingbermuehle said.
“There may be a time, due to the scope of work, that the facilities are not available, and we will address those concerns as necessary,” he said.
Wingbermuehle said most of House 4’s ductwork must be removed and replaced because the lining in the ducts is contaminated by mold.
He said the building’s HVAC units will be removed and cleaned and sections of drywall will be removed to allow treatment of the surfaces below the drywall.
Wingbermuehle also said the station’s ventilation system will be upgraded to better control humidity levels throughout the building in an effort to prevent mold from developing in the future.
On Dec. 26, Wingbermuehle said Rock Fire planned to get a mechanical engineer to look over House 4 to determine the exact work that will be needed.
Wingbermuehle said he had no estimate how much the project would cost or how long it would take to finish.
“I am hoping that this project will be completed within a few months,” he said. “It is difficult to say without having a definitive start date for the project.”
Rock Fire paid Wachter $229,238 as the general contractor to oversee a mold remediation project for House 3 at 3540 Lonedell Road west of Arnold. That project included dry wall replacement, remodeling and electric and concrete work.
That house was closed from Nov. 7, 2022, to Jan. 13, 2033, for the mold remediation project there.
Concrete work
Before starting the mold remediation at House 4, Rock Fire had concrete repairs completed there.
However, the repair work revealed another problem that needed fixed.
Wingbermuehle said the electrical conduits were not buried properly during the original construction, and the original concrete was poured over the conduits.
He said when the damaged concrete was removed, the conduits and wiring were damaged.
Wingbermuehle said Reinhold Electric of St. Louis buried the conduits properly to avoid future problems.
In addition to the conduits under the concrete, Reinhold employees determined the house had oversized breakers and replaced them.
“Circuit breakers are safety devices that must be properly matched to wire size and equipment demands to protect from overheating due to excessive current,” Wingbermuehle said. “Oversized breakers can pose serious risk to people and property in the forms of increased fire risk and electrical shock hazards. This was a good find by the electricians, and we appreciate their diligence in finding and correcting these issues.”
On Dec. 26, Wingbermuehle said he did not have the final cost for the electric work, but estimated it at about $2,000.