Historical photographs of Richmond firefighters appear in the windows of Fire Station 12 on West Cary Street. (Photo by Mark Newton)
The busy city sounds of street sweepers, police sirens and, yes, even fire engines overwhelmed the amplified voices of interim Fire Chief Jeffrey Segal, Mayor Danny Avula and Councilmember Stephanie Lynch on June 25 as they noted Fire Station 12’s modern amenities and paid tribute to its rich history, which dates back to the use of horsedrawn fire wagons in 1908.
“We have a lot of good stories and good experiences with the old,” Segal said at a ribbon-cutting ceremony last month, “but now we have the new.”
Three years in the making, the West Cary Street station boasts a gym, an enormous kitchen, individual bathrooms and air conditioning that powered through the day’s triple-digit heat. It also retains a fire pole that, while common in the popular imagination, has been used less and less because of safety concerns.
“They’re able to provide a fire-rated, airtight ceiling for those pole doors, so we’re able to [use them again] as a way for us to move throughout the station,” Captain Hallie Neville says.
A sculpture hanging above an outdoor patio, titled “Higher and Higher,” uses ladders as a figurative and literal symbol of ascension, and images sourced from The Valentine museum decorate the windows of the fire station.
Sylvio Lynch III, secretary of the city’s History and Culture Commission and a leader on the art project, says his goal was to humanize city firefighters and show how they’re pillars of the community. Among the images are smiling faces, including that of the city’s first female firefighter, Barbara J. Hicks-Spring, who was present for the ribbon cutting, and a band of firefighters playing music at the 1960 Richmond Fire Show at City Stadium. Sylvio Lynch also contributed sketches that give “a nod to the architectural elements” of past and present fire stations.
“It’s just been wonderful to see people ... walking around and knowing that the folks who take care of them in a particular way have the best facilities,” Sylvio Lynch says, adding, “Their kitchen is awesome; I want their kitchen.”
