Time short for Bristol firehouse; fixes needed

Posted on December 11, 2014 | By Zach Despart

BRISTOL About 20 members of the Bristol Fire Department crammed into the basement of Holley Hall Monday evening to hear how the selectboard planned to fix their crumbling headquarters on North Street.

Firefighters expressed a general sense of frustration that the town has not yet approved a plan for a new firehouse structure, and that the current firehouse does not meet the needs of the department.

The structures wooden frame, which dates back to 1897, cannot support the weight of 21st-century firetrucks. Last month, an engineer determined that the sagging second floor of the building could not safely support more than a handful of people.

As a result of these deficiencies, the department rents space around Bristol to store its apparatus and meets at the American Legion hall.

The most recent problem to befall the North Street firehouse is a faulty septic system, which firefighters believe is eroding the foundation of the structure. On Monday evening, the selectboard unanimously passed a motion to spend up to $10,000 to make structural and electrical upgrades to the station. The board also decided to file an application for a new septic system, in case it decides to install one in the future.

Some firefighters were dismayed the board did not take the additional step of deciding to replace the septic system. At issue was whether the faulty septic should be declared failed. The board maintained that because no sewage had surfaced near the firehouse, it had not failed, even though no one knows exactly where the sewage is ending up.

If youre not seeing it and youre not smelling it, you cant say it has failed, said Selectman Brian Fox.

A major issue is that no one knows exactly where the septic system lies, or even what type of system it is. Anyone that was alive when it was installed at the end of the 19th century has long since died, and the fire department cant locate any relevant records.

Fire Chief Brett LaRose took issue with the boards characterization that the septic had not failed.

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Time short for Bristol firehouse; fixes needed