PAX Centurion - March / April 2015

Page 40 • PAX CENTURION • March/April 2015 617-989-BPPA (2772) A fter the winter we have all endured here in Boston, with record-setting snowfalls, and long stretches of very cold temperatures, I thought the people of Boston, might be curi- ous as to how the emergency personnel tasked with responding in a moments’ notice to their calls were sheltered from the storms. Boston Fire, Boston Police, and Boston EMS were all on duty, around the clock. How well are these responders taken care of?What do they so between the calls?Where do they come from anyways? In order to answer these questions, thought I’d start withWest Roxbury. I will move on to other parts of the city in the future. Fire: T heWest Roxbury Firehouse at 1940 Centre St. inWest Roxbury houses Engine 30 and Ladder 25. The station was opened June 1st, 1898, and combined fire units from other loca- tions under one roof. It is a two story expansive station, featuring Richardso- nian Ro- manesque architecture, and is adorned with many memorial plaques, markers, and other fitting tributes to the station and it’s men’s history. Engine 55 located at 5115Washington St. inWest Roxbury was established on June 6, 1949. It was built to serve an outer lying part of West Roxbury near the Dedham line that was experiencing rapid development at the time. Both stations feature fueling stations for the vehicles, heated bays for the fire trucks, locker rooms, running water, quarters for the men working, bathrooms, offices, and a common area for meals and paperwork. Rumor has it that they have a television too. Police: T heWest Roxbury Police Station known as Area E-5 is located at 1708 Centre St. Set back from the Holy Name Circle rotary, and surrounded by pleas- ant shaded grounds, this station was built in what some call a “Califor- nia Style” architec- ture taking advantage of the generous lot it sits on. The station was completely renovated in One of these things is NOT like the other Boston EMS Corner: Ed McCarthy 2001, and is one of the newer police stations in Boston. The building features a maintenance bay, a fuel pump for the cruisers, and a com- munity room, which is used by several local groups and organizations regularly, including the Boy Scouts, and theWest Roxbury Neighbor- hood Council. The 50,983 residents of West Roxbury (and a piece of Roslindale) can rest assured that this station has electricity, running water, and heat for the officers that work there. Officers have a locker room where they can store personal effects as well. There are desks and countertops where paperwork can be done as well. They even have telephones. EMS: T he Boston EMS station inWest Roxbury is an empty parking space, located on the side of the road at Holy Name Circle. The crew shift-changes at a station in Jamaica Plain, but is forbidden to return there. Policy states “When clear and available, Ambulance Five will be posted at Holy Name Circle.” If there is a rare moment of down-time, this parking space is whereAmbulance 5 sits. There is no housing for the ambulance. There is no shelter from the elements for the crew. There is no heat. There is no water. There is no phone. There is no bathroom. Not even a chair. If the crew wants to eat between calls, the dashboard is their table. Sometimes, the space gets plowed. The parking spaces lines were repainted in 2009. S o, in closing, I hope that this satisfies the readers’ curiosity about how their responders are taken care of in Boston. Well, some of them, anyways. When 911 is called, you now know where the emergency crews responding to your home have come from, and what conditions they have there. It also may explain why some of the EMS equipment is so cold. It may explain why the EMT’s might stretch their backs out a bit when the climb from the ambulance, and why while taking care of you, or your family member, they may gaze longingly at your couch for a brief moment. Feel free to give them a wave if you drive by the circle, and see them. After all, it’s not like you can call them on the phone, or visit them at a station.