LISBON — Crumbling walls. No showers. No sleeping quarters. Inadequate facilities.

Those are some of the problems Lisbon hopes to fix when they make plans for the future of its Fire Department.

Last month, the Town Council approved a study to evaluate the Fire Department’s facilities — at 41 Village St. in Lisbon and 30 Main St. in Lisbon Falls — and determine whether Lisbon would be best served by one or two fire stations in the future.

The study will also assess the Police Department’s facilities at 300 Lisbon St. and determine whether a single public safety building for the Police and Fire departments would be in the best interest of the town.

The Town Council voted 6-0 at the May 10 meeting to accept a bid from Portland-based Port City Architects for $38,410. The company has conducted similar public safety studies for Yarmouth, Cumberland, Falmouth and Gorham.

Each of the town’s two population centers has its own fire station, both built in the early 1960s. Lisbon Fire Chief Nate LeClair said neither station is adequate for the department’s current and future needs.

Fire Chief Nate LeClaire demonstrates Monday how his hand can slip into a crack between concrete panels on the exterior wall of the Lisbon Falls Fire Station. There have been areas where daylight could be seen from inside the station. The firefighters have been sealing holes in the station with spray foam. Andree Kehn/Sun Journal

Originally, the study was to just focus on evaluating the Fire Department’s facilities, however it was later expanded to include the Police Department.

LeClair, whose office is in the Police Department, noted that they are also outgrowing their facility. The women’s locker room is not large enough for their staff and there are no physical fitness facilities, he said.

He said it makes sense to construct a public safety building with facilities shared between both departments.

“When they need it and we need it, if you build a facility where we share those type of things, it makes sense,” he said.

But reflecting on whether one or two fire stations would better serve the town, he said he can see benefits and detriments to both configurations.

Having just one facility could increase their response time to an emergency, he said. However, it might be a better financial move for the town.

Hiring a private contractor to conduct the study will minimize “intentional or unintentional bias” when recommending what would be best for the town, LeClair said.

“I want to make sure the council has all the information available to them to make a decision,” LeClair said. “Whether I liked it or not, as long as we have an informed decision.”

A new fire station or public safety building would require approval from the Town Council and a vote, according to LeClair. The six-month study is expected to be completed by the end of the year.

AGING FACILITIES

LeClair took the Sun Journal on a tour of the Lisbon Falls station Monday. Firefighters, he said, take pride in their stations and their gear, keeping things neat and orderly.

But “if you look from the outside and look into the actual issues of something, it’s a whole different story,” he said.

Fire Chief Nate LeClaire glances Monday at the two couches in the day room of the Lisbon Falls Fire Station. Firefighters on duty will often choose to sleep on a table instead of the crumbling couches. Andree Kehn/Sun Journal

While walking around the building, LeClair pointed to cracks in the building’s concrete walls. Daylight could be seen shining into the garage from at least one corner of the building before it was sealed with spray foam, said Glendon Bordas, the only full-time firefighter/EMT in Lisbon besides LeClair.

Other parts of the concrete exterior seemed to similarly be crumbling, with one large exterior crack stretching from the ground to the roof.

Both stations have day rooms, kitchen areas and bathrooms, but no showers or spaces for volunteers to sleep overnight. When the department knows a major blizzard or storm is coming, volunteers will sleep on couches, in trucks, or even on top of tables in case they’re needed.

“Wherever they can find a spot,” LeClair said.

The lack of showers is a problem. Firefighters are told to “shower within the hour” following a fire to remove hazardous chemicals and debris. According to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, numerous studies have shown that firefighters have an increased risk of cancer due to exposure to toxins.

Lisbon’s firefighters must either return home or use the Police Department’s facilities to shower following a fire, he said.

Glendon Borgas, the only full-time firefighter/EMT in the town of Lisbon, organizes and inventories the gear in the fire station Monday, a weekly chore designed to ensure all gear meets standards at all times. Andree Kehn/Sun Journal

To make things worse, the station also lacks fire alarms and sprinklers.

“We’re trying to comply with current safety standards, but we can’t,” Bordas said. “This building is a representation of that.”

Modern fire engines are wider and taller than they were in the 1960s, meaning Lisbon’s trucks fit in the garage with little room to spare. The newest engine, painted Moxie orange, has just two inches of clearance.

LeClair said upgrades to Lisbon’s fire stations have been a long time coming. In a 1971 memo assessing the department’s facilities, the fire chief at the time noted that “if the town continues to grow, there may be a need to renovate the so-called ‘day room’ (in the Lisbon Falls station) for living quarters for full-time drivers.”

“This was 1971 and here we are in (2022),” LeClair said. “Our town has grown, and we’ve had no renovations made to the buildings, especially that building, since 1968.”

Fire Chief Nate LeClaire speaks Monday to Glendon Borgas, who is inside of the new orange “Moxie Engine” firetruck. The station’s garage bays barely fit the trucks. The bay that houses the ladder truck, far left, had to be customized, lowering the floor to accommodate the height of the truck. Andree Kehn/Sun Journal

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