Gerritsen Beach Volunteer Firehouse To Get $2.4 Million Overhaul For Storm Resiliency
The Gerrittsen Beach Fire Department, the volunteer firefighting base of Gerritsen Beach where many locals took refuge after Superstorm Sandy, is slated to get a $2.4 million overhaul to protect it from future extreme weather events.
The funds come for the Governor’s Office of Storm Recovery following a proposal from the local NY Rising committee, and is meant to protect the building as a community asset to be used in emergency response.
The department, affectionately known as the Vollies, is the only remaining volunteer fire department left in Brooklyn, and after Superstorm Sandy became the place for neighbors to gather, get information from government agencies, and find food, clothes and warmth when the neighborhood was devastated by the flood waters.
The building itself did not escape the storm surge, taking on several feet of water. But the crew cleared the building out quickly in the days after the storm, and converted it into a community safe haven.
The money will be used in a two-phase project. In the first phase, the first floor will be retrofitted with flood barriers, hurricane-rated roll-up doors and the elevation of mechanical systems. This is aimed at increasing the capacity of Vollies Memorial Hall to serve as a relief and recovery center, which is where neighbors turned to for help after Sandy.
They’re also exploring the addition of a second floor to the building to contain equipment and material needed for 24-hour emergency response operations, including communications equipment, showers and a kitchen. A retrofit of the firehouse will also be explored to protect equipment and mechanicals.
“I commend Governor Andrew Cuomo and the NY Rising Community Reconstruction Program for dedicating significant financial resources to make sure that the Gerrittsen Beach Volunteer Fire Department is prepared to withstand any future storms,” said State Senator Marty Golden in a press release. “For more than 90 years, this volunteer emergency service organization has stood as a foundation of the Gerritsen Beach neighborhood. This investment is critical to the future of our community.”