The Fire Department topped off its new headquarters building with its final steel beam on Wednesday.
Current and retired Lynnfield firefighters were joined by residents at the construction site. Attendees were invited to sign the final beam before it was placed.
Fire Chief Glenn Davis said new public-safety facilities became one of the town’s “top priorities” after the Strategic Planning Committee identified the community’s needs.
“When our current fire stations were built, they were nothing more than garages or a place to park the fire trucks. There was no forward planning for the evolution of the fire service. No cancer awareness, no plans for female firefighters, no plans for EMS or ambulance services,” he said.
The new headquarters, which he said will open in 2025, will provide the town’s firefighters and paramedics “with the tools necessary to do their job” for the next 50 to 75 years.
“Cancer is the most dangerous threat to firefighters’ health and safety today,” Davis said.
The new station addresses “knowledge regarding carcinogens and rising cancer rates among firefighters nationwide” by using “proper adequate ventilation” and “efficient specialized decontamination equipment” to create a safe environment, Davis said.
The new living quarters will also include “clearly defined equitable space to accommodate our growing number of female employees,” he said.
“The fire service has evolved a lot over the last 50 years,” he said. “Our stations weren’t designed for today’s fire service. This one is.”
Strategic Planning Committee Chair Joe Connell said the committee presented the need for a new headquarters as its top priority to the town in October 2020.
“I was extremely happy the town supported us on having this project funded through taxpayer money, and it really worked out well from start to finish,” he said.
“The Select Board and the citizens of Lynnfield support public safety and today was a very clear example of that for all to see,” Town Administrator Rob Dolan said. “We look forward to delivering new police and fire facilities that provide our firefighters and police officers the tools to protect and serve in safety.”
Department of Public Works Director John Scenna said, “It was worth pausing to celebrate” the construction milestone.
He said the team plans to finish the next phase of consumption in six to eight weeks to be ready to work during the winter.
Suzie Lilakos and Lindsey Gartner, two of the five female firefighters in the department, said they are excited for the project to be completed.
Lilakos, who has been on the force for almost 10 years, said the project has been “a long time coming.”
“It’s finally nice to see it go from paper to the real thing. It’s just going to be great for us going forward,” she added.
Gartner, who is a volunteer firefighter in Lynnfield because she is still going through orientation, said she is looking forward to seeing the new headquarters.
“The fire service in general has changed so much, now having female firefighters and male firefighters,” she said. “We have our own living quarters (and) the gear can be in its own area, so that we aren’t sleeping with carcinogens. It’s going to be awesome.”
“Even though this is the sole fire headquarters, it’s a step forward in the process — in the project — and our building is right behind this one,” Police Chief Nick Secatore said. “It means a lot to the community. It puts us one step closer and it’s a great showing to get everybody together to show the community what’s been done so far.”
“The town really stood behind us to get this through, to pass it, and to build new stations at both ends of town,” Fire Capt. Kevin Mutti said. “It’s incredibly important for the future of the Fire Department and the future of the town.”
Mutti has been on the force for 27 years and said it was a great feeling to sign the final beam of the new headquarters.
“It’s great to see the department grow. We’ve been growing incrementally over the years and this is a huge step for us,” he said. “It just felt great to sign.”
House Minority Leader Bradley H. Jones Jr. said adding the final beam was a “huge step forward” for the Fire Department and the town.
Jones agreed with Davis’ assessment that the role of firefighters has shifted to focus more on medical services.
Everyone in Lynnfield can relate to wanting quality services during a medical emergency, he said.
“The building is a predicate to making that possible,” Jones said.
Steelworkers Collin Welch, of Peabody, and Tim Hogan, of Walpole, connected the final beam of the new headquarters.
Hogan said this was his first time connecting the final beam of a building.
“It was awesome, everyone coming out (and) watching… We get to see our hard work pay off,” he said.
Hogan said he had only been on the site for a few weeks, and the real credit goes to the site workers who have worked on it since the beginning.
Welch said he has lost count of how many final beams he has connected, and that it never gets old.
“Feels like it was the first time every time you do it,” Welch said.
Seeing the project come together over the weeks was a “good feeling,” especially for a project like this, Welch said.
Hogan and Welch wore matching suit jackets with decorative ties as they connected the final beam.
“I think two jobs ago, I did it,” Welch said. “And now just every time, throwing on a suit jacket (and) tie, it looks good up there. That’s what it’s all about.”
