An article that ran last week in The Chronicle was, according to firefighter Kevin Reynolds, how the rank-and-file members of the Chehalis Fire Department found out they would not return to the historic downtown fire station.
Reynolds, who serves as union president for International Association of Fire Fighters Local 2510, claims city officials have failed to keep the firefighters in the loop as plans have taken shape to vacate the 90-year-old station at 455 NW Park St. and house the department at Lewis County Fire District 6 headquarters just south of Chehalis until a new station can be built.
“This, in my opinion, is a complete abandonment of the effort to get us back on track,” Reynolds said. “It’s to the point where it’s about how it costs us the least amount of money. The city has already said they don’t have a budget or plan for a new fire department. They haven’t budgeted for this and it’s their attempt to take the cheaper way out.”
City Manager Jill Anderson and Fire Chief Ken Cardinale deny Reynolds’ claim of being kept in the dark. The Chehalis Fire Department first evacuated its building in August due to asbestos found during efforts to renovate the building and has been headquartered with Fire District 6 at 2123 Jackson Hwy. ever since.