City officials recently toured Middletown’s fire stations to see the conditions up close that have been called cramped, antiquated and even unhealthy.
In the four fire stations operated by the Middletown Division of Fire, the close quarters in the shared living, sleeping and working areas force firefighters to literally work on top of each other, according to the Journal-News . Fitness equipment are in small rooms or behind the trucks. None of the stations meet National Fire Protection Association standards or current building structure codes.
In December, the Ohio Fire Chief’s Association completed a staffing and deployment analysis and made several recommendations such as developing a facility improvement plan and replacing and relocating at least one station. The analysis noted two of the four fire stations, Station 81 at 307 N. Clinton St. and Station 83/Fire Headquarters at 2300 Roosevelt Blvd., respond to 64 percent of the calls for service in the city.