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ROSE HILL — Construction of the Rose Hill Volunteer Fire Department is nearly completed. According to Commissioner Gary Boney, who also serves as fire chief, there is still some work to be done inside.
“We got to put some ceiling tiles in and get the kitchen appliances put in,” Boney told the Duplin Journal. “It just takes time when you got several contractors working, if one contractor falls behind it puts everybody else behind too. But we are coming along. We look forward to it being done this year anyway.”
The 14,000-square-foot firehouse, funded with a USDA-Rural Development loan of approximately $3.1 million, features five drive-through double bays for emergency service vehicles, an administration section, a training room, bunk quarters, office space and a better kitchen.
Boney, who has been the town’s fire chief for the last eight years and a firefighter for 45, shared that they are looking forward to using the new facility.
“Our old firehouse was near the railroad tracks on the east side of town and the guys had to cross (Highway) 117, which is a busy thoroughfare there to get to it,” said Boney, adding that the new facility is more centrally located, and it will be easier to get to. “There’s better parking and better training facilities.”
The new building is not only more accessible but provides a vast upgrade from the old fire station, which has three bays that are not big enough to accommodate the firetrucks.
“We have equipment that is kept off site from our station because there is no room for it,” Boney said. “We have room for all of our equipment in the new station.”
According to the fire chief the space is so tight at the old firehouse that they cannot even walk between some of the trucks, and they are looking forward to moving into the new facility when it is completed.
“We’re very excited about it because we’ve got room to store our equipment and do our training in a much better atmosphere,” said Boney.
“What we have up here is all ours. The land, the building, everything is ours,” said Boney.
Unlike other fire departments which are funded by their town, the non-profit volunteer organization has a tax district outside the city limits and will use that revenue to pay for their building and equipment. In addition to that, they are contracted by the Town of Rose Hill to provide fire services.
Currently, there is discussion about the potential uses for the old fire department space. According to a report from the town’s manager, town officials are considering various possibilities from converting it into a community center, using it as a rental facility for small functions, or as extra storage space for administration and additional office space.
