Rye Brook Firehouse Grand Opening

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Grand Opening set for this Tuesday Sept 14. 4: 30- 7:30

Dedication at 5:30

Tours, Hats, Shirts, etc..... and of course a free meal.

Call the firehouse for details and directions.

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So is RBFD running out of the new station yet? How do you guys like it?

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Village rings in King St. firehouse

RICH LOGIS  

THE ITEM  

(Original publication: September 24, 2004)  

After years of waiting, the Rye Brook Fire Department has a new home.  

Last week when the new firehouse was opened, emotions among the eight village firefighters ranged from relief to disbelief.  

"Honest to goodness, it's our very own firehouse," said firefighter Christian McKay. "Everyone is anxious to get started here. It's a feeling of starting anew."  

The fire department was incorporated seven years ago. Before the new firehouse, which officially opened Sept. 14, firefighters were working out of Rye Brook's highway garage. The paid department has a partnership with the Port Chester Fire Department.  

The firehouse was six years in the making. The biggest challenge was finding a location. Another was making sure the house looked as residential as possible. Both challenges were overcome, McKay said.  

The two-story house is on King Street and looks like neighboring houses. Among its amenities are a gym, an educational training room that will also be utilized by the police department, sleeping quarters, a kitchen and a recreation room.  

"It's as modern as you can get," McKay said. "The village boards, past and present, really need to be congratulated."  

The new location is also important, he said. The highway garage, on West Williams Street, was at the southernmost part of the village, which created challenges in getting to fires quickly. For example, the Westchester County Airport is now four to six minutes away; at the garage, it was 12 to 15 minutes away. The difference in minutes can be the difference in containing a fire, McKay said.  

"It will save us response time (and) dispatch time. Overall, it makes the department much more efficient," he said. "We're looking at the firehouse as our foundation."  

Matthew Plastini, a firefighter and president of the Rye Brook Professional Firefighters union, said when he took over in 2000, opening the firehouse was a main priority.  

Once a site was found, village officials moved quickly and had it built in a year.  

"There was definitely a lot of work to do," Plastini said. "But everyone worked to have it done as quickly as possible."  

Plastini said the house was built to accommodate future growth, which, for him, is another priority for the department.  

"It was built with the anticipation of future growth, and we're looking forward to the department growing," he said  

The firehouse will solidify the fire department's place in the community, Plastini said.  

"Everyone's excited," he said. "It's good to be a natural fixture in the community and not tenants of the highway garage."  

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Photo on updated website

http://www.ryebrookfirefighters.org/ ://http://www.ryebrookfirefighters.org...