By: Cara McErlean
A lot has changed since 1928.
After a long planning period, construction workers finally broke ground for Hershey’s new firehouse in March 2015. The new station will add 10,000 square feet of new facilities to the original 1928-built firehouse. The construction is projected to be finished by January, 2016. Through donations and state grants, the fire company is raising the $6.8 million needed to fund this project.
Deputy Fire Chief Rodney Sonderman said the expansion is an effort to protect Milton Hershey’s dream for the community.
The department was founded in 1905 with the help of Milton Hershey. The first fire station was located right next to his factory, and the current fire station is built on land he donated on Caracas Avenue. Hershey would allow his employees to leave work in order to serve the community with the fire department.
Since then, “Mr. Hershey’s Dream” is has become a key factor in everything the fire department does. Emblazoned on the trucks and shirts of the fire crews is the motto: “Protecting His Dream Since 1905.” With the new renovations, Sonderman said the station will be able to continue Mr. Hershey’s dream of a safe community for the next 50 years.
As First Assistant Chief Scott A. Stein explained, part of Mr. Hershey’s dream was to provide the best place to live and work for his employees. Since it’s inception, the volunteer fire department has worked daily to protect the citizens of Hershey from fire, floods, and other emergencies.
The additions to the station include new training rooms, bunks and a kitchen for overnight or live-in volunteers, extended office space, and a public historical display. The living facilities will attract more young volunteers, Sonderman hopes. In exchange for their service, the fire department will be able to provide lodging to these new firefighters.
There will be a indoor training room, as well as a realistic fire simulator located in the front tower of the new building. These facilities benefit new firefighters, Sonderman said, “by giving them experience right at home.”
Braedon Stein, a senior at Hershey High School, is among the first junior firefighters who will receive training in these new facilities. He has started his fire education at the “Burn Building” training center at Harrisburg Area Community College, but he is excited to have a convenient training area here in Hershey. “It’ll teach us young guys,” Braedon Stein said.
As Sonderman said, this renovation has been a long time coming. Despite previous renovations in 1954 and 1970, the fire company had long outgrown its small brick house.The outdated technology was not energy efficient, the building’s foundation was cracking, and the volunteers were cramped. Due to limited indoor space for equipment, the station was forced to park several trucks outside.
In order to fund the project, the fire station needed the help of state and county grants, large corporations, small businesses, and the community. The cost of construction, legal fees, and new fixtures came to a total of $6.8 million.
The station felt the support of the community.
Sonderman said, “We have gotten donations as large as $2 million and as small as $2. Every little bit helps.”
The station is still looking for $1.4 million to pay off the loans for the project. Volunteers will be sending fundraising letters and collecting donations at the Hershey Farmers Market.
Community involvement is the final step in the creation of the new fire station. The station hosted a pre-opening celebration on Milton Hershey’s birthday: Sunday September 13th. When the renovations are finished in the Spring of 2016, the community will be invited to an open house at the new station.
Throughout the renovations, Sonderman said he has kept Milton Hershey’s vision in mind. “We are very excited to be a partner to the community by ‘Protecting Mr. Hershey’s Dream,'” Sonderman said.
