Chelsea firefighters seek help to restore aging fire station

Chelsea Area Fire Authority (CAFA) Chief Robert Arbini is sounding an alarm – but it's not for the type of emergency that most community members might imagine. This time Chelsea's fire station at 200 W. Middle St. is in urgent need of rescue.

"There are real concerns about the safety of the current fire station and the need for change," Arbini says. "It's not working for us. It's just in really bad shape."

Built over an old dumping ground, the building has been serving the community since 1963. Over time, the station has been renovated, but serious safety issues, such as sinking, have taken hold. Ten years ago, concrete needed to be injected underneath a corner of the station to prevent it from going down even further. Today, a couple of other floor areas in the bay, where firefighting vehicles are kept, have started to visibly sink.
Doug CoombeChelsea Area Fire Authority Chief Robert Arbini.
"It was just built at a time where there were no career firefighters, just volunteers. They would come from home and they wouldn't stay in the station," Arbini says. "Now, we have four people on duty daily. The station was not built for that." 

A station rebuild has increasingly become a hot topic of discussion. Among the specific improvements Arbini's team needs to do their job better is a larger apparatus bay. Presently, firefighters have to store their workout equipment out in the bay area. That means that the firefighters are exposed to exhaust fumes when vehicles start up. 

More storage space is also needed. A lot of the department storage is up in the mezzanine area, where Arbini says "you actually have to duck to walk around." And the sleeping quarters are just one open communal space instead of compartmentalized rooms.
Doug CoombeChief Arbini in the upstairs storage space at the Chelsea fire station.
For visitors, Arbini would like to offer a more professional and welcoming meeting room. Another priority is renovating the bathroom to make it wheelchair-accessible for all community members. 

Arbini also shares concerns for his own well-being, and his assistant's, should a fire break out at the station. Arbini explains that their office space is on the upper floor, after a climb up a spiral staircase. While charming, there is a real risk of them being trapped in the event of a blaze.

"One option would be to jump 15 to 20 feet out into the fire bay," Arbini says. "That's just not good." 
Doug CoombeChief Robert Arbini (right) with staff by the workout area in the bay of the Chelsea fire station.
Arbini is working hard to get renovations moving, having had many discussions with Chelsea's city council. His team would like to see a rebuild – or a move to a new building – happen within the next two years. In March, the CAFA received $500,000 of the $5 million it requested in federal Community Project Funding (CPF) to fund renovations. Arbini says that while he and his team are grateful, the CFP money is still nowhere near enough. 

"We put in for a lot more money so that we wouldn't have to burden the taxpayers," Arbini says. Now, he says, CAFA may need to pursue a millage proposal to fund renovations – or even, as a last resort, consider purchasing new property by the legal mechanism of eminent domain.

The current rebuild plan comes with an approximate price tag of $7 million. While Arbini says he can't predict with certainty what will unfold in the coming months, his vision is to keep the fire station in the city. 
Doug CoombeThe floor sinking at the Chelsea fire station.
"My staff is great. They come in. They do their job. They serve the community well. Many of them are community-based and grew up here," he says. "They know the neighborhoods, they know the neighbors, and [they] are hoping the neighborhood will continue to support us."

As plans for a rebuild gain more momentum, Arbini welcomes more community conversations about solutions.

"Come in anytime and see what's going on for yourself," he says. "If you think the station is acceptable, fine, but if not, let's work together for a change. It's long overdue."

Jaishree Drepaul is a writer and editor based in Ann Arbor. She can be reached at jaishreeedit@gmail.com.

All photos by Doug Coombe.