Press release form WNC VA Health Care System:
The Western North Carolina VA Health Care System has partnered with the Asheville Fire Department to ensure firefighters can maintain continuity of service while Fire Station 8 off Tunnel Road is undergoing a much-needed two-week bay floor renovation.
The station has a ladder truck and an engine, and three shifts of four firefighters who are present daily. The station was originally constructed when firefighting vehicles were smaller, and the renovations will provide a foundation strong enough to hold newer, heavier-type fire trucks.
Jeremy Knighton, Asheville FD Emergency Manager, contacted Rakeyta Scales, Health Care System Emergency Manager, to see if temporary lodging could be set up for the station’s crew while work was completed.
Scales said to meet the fire department’s needs, she worked with Health Care System Leadership and Facility Management which includes Environmental Management, Police, and IT to designate a space for the firefighters to be housed for two weeks.
The Memorandum of Understanding, or MOU, had to be reviewed by the Health Care System’s Office of General Counsel, Compliance Officer, and Leadership for approval, Scales added. the City Manager of Asheville and Asheville Fire Department also signed off.
To prep for the firefighters, maintenance and cleaning activities had to be completed in Bldg. 3 before the firefighters moved in, Scales said.
“Using the VA Building to house Ladder 8 company allows us to stay in our first response area and to be able to continue providing service,” Kelley Klope, Asheville Fire Department Public Information Officer, said. “It allows us to keep our response times to a minimum, reaching an emergency as quickly as possible.”
The Asheville Fire Department and the WNC VA Health Care System have a long-standing relationship of working together on many things over the years – especially pertaining to Emergency Management.
This situation is no different.
“VA is providing safe and secure housing for our firefighters who live at a station for 24 hours at a time,” Klope said. “That includes bedrooms, a kitchen, living areas, office space and nice grounds.”
Acting Health Care System Director Dr. Angela Williams said it just makes sense.
“This is a good example of our collaboration with our community partners,” Dr. Williams said. “We’re both in the business of taking care of people, we have the space, and in this instance, we were able to help them. In the future, we may need their assistance.”
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