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A pole-like addition was erected around the old fire hall last winter, doubling the space in the fire hall.

A year-long construction project that doubled the floor space at the Lake Henry Fire Hall is nearing completion. The new hall relieved the cramped quarters that used to constrict the movement of the 21-member department.

The project has been in the works for a couple years, with the department purchasing a neighboring lot and removing the old blacksmith shop. Construction started last winter when a pole-barn structure was erected over the existing building that served as both the fire hall and city hall.

Once the structure was done, interior remodeling began, with the firefighters and rescue squad members doing much of the work on a volunteer basis.

"We got good public support," explained Dick Frieler, a member of the fire department's building committee in charge of financing and fund raising. "The public encouraged us and that drove us to do the project."

Volunteer labor was used to demolish the exterior of the old fire hall, to recycle material, like pulling nails and reusing the lumber from the old rafters, insulating the new fire hall, and finishing its interior.

The number of hours that were volunteered were so numerous that they were impossible to count.

"Every time a guy had a spare moment, he came down here," explained Pat Welle, another member of the fire department's building committee who oversaw the construction of the new fire hall.

"There were many times when they'd be down here every night, even Sundays," said Lake Henry Fire Chief Bob Pelzer.

The concrete floor was poured in October, but had to cure for a month, meaning the fire department had to store its trucks at various businesses around Lake Henry for several weeks. A few times firemen rushed to the fire hall only to remember that the trucks were parked elsewhere. "We put the trucks back in as soon as we got the okay to be on the concrete," said Frieler.

Much of the work for the project was done by the firefighters on a volunteer basis. Here, Pat Welle (top) and fire chief Bob Pelzer (below) work on demolishing the exterior of the old fire hall.

"It's functional. It's usable," added Frieler. "We can finish it now on our own, when we feel like it."

The new fire hall has a number of advantages due to the larger space.

First, with four doors facing the road, the department now has four trucks ready to roll simultaneously. The old fire hall had only four parking spaces and only two doors facing the street, which meant three trucks were bottlenecked behind one door (in a row of three). "Any one vehicle can leave individually (now)," said Frieler, "without the others (moving)."

Second, the new fire hall has parking space for all five of the department's trucks. With only four parking spaces before, the department was forced to keep a fifth truck, a donated fire and rescue rig, inactive.

This vehicle was donated to the Lake Henry Fire and Rescue Department from Rockville. "We tried to turn the vehicle down because we didn't have room for it, but they insisted," said Frieler.

The new fire and rescue rig is smaller, more mobile, and faster to respond than the full-size pumper-tanker the department used to use. It carries the department's defibrillator and rescue equipment.

Like other departments with a fire and rescue squad, a majority of Lake Henry's calls are now accidents and medical emergencies and not fires, calls that the rescue rig is better equipped to respond to. "It's just great," said Pelzer. "We can get (to calls) in a matter of minutes."

Third, firefighters no longer have to squeeze between two trucks to get to their lockers and get dressed. The space between trucks was so small, in fact, that most firefighters on the far wall had to climb over the trucks. Now there is plenty of room behind the trucks for the fire department personnel to move freely.

Fourth, the new hall is taller than the old hall, which should make getting visiting trucks into the hall to refill them with water easier.

The Lake Henry Fire and Rescue Department serves as the primary mutual aid for the Paynesville Fire Department and has mutual aid agreements with departments in Belgrade, Elrosa, Melrose, and St. Martin. It must be able to refill a truck from any of these departments, and trucks these days are all getting bigger, said Pelzer.

The new fire hall is tall enough that the department could get a milk truck into the fire hall and use it as an extra tanker in the case of a really large fire.

A side benefit for the department members is having enough room in the fire hall to wash their trucks inside.

The fire department hopes to finish the new bathroom and the water supply system to fill tanker trucks before holding an open house for the new fire hall in April or May. In the future, they plan on building new coat racks and adding storage rooms at the back of the hall. "I don't think you'll ever be done because you always have to update things," said Welle.

An immediate goal for the department will be to finish paying for the project. The total project was budgeted to cost $80,000, and Frieler expects the project to finish under budget, thanks in part to all the volunteer labor and supplies.

The project will use only $7,000 from the city of Lake Henry's building fund. The rest, over 90 percent of the project, was funded through donations. A private citizen loaned the department enough money to finish the project, and repaying that loan will be a prime goal for the department.

Another principal contributor, both to the new fire hall and to the refurbishing of the new rescue vehicle, was the Lake Henry Lions Club.

The Lake Henry Fire and Rescue Department is the prime responder for 53 sections, including all of the city of Lake Henry and Lake Henry Township and parts of Zion and Spring Hill townships.