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Kyle Hardy, a lieutenant with the Pleasant Grove Fire Department, poses for a portrait seated at a table he made with the help of two others Friday, Jan. 11, 2019, at the newly-built Pleasant Grove Fire Department. Isaac Hale, Daily Herald

Isaac Hale Daily Herald

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Kyle Hardy, a lieutenant with the Pleasant Grove Fire Department, points out the different kinds of wood in an inlay on a table he made with the help of two others Friday, Jan. 11, 2019, at the newly-built Pleasant Grove Fire Department. Isaac Hale, Daily Herald

Isaac Hale Daily Herald

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Kyle Hardy, a lieutenant with the Pleasant Grove Fire Department, poses for a portrait seated at a table he made with the help of two others Friday, Jan. 11, 2019, at the newly-built Pleasant Grove Fire Department. Isaac Hale, Daily Herald

Isaac Hale Daily Herald

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Kyle Hardy, a lieutenant with the Pleasant Grove Fire Department, poses for a portrait seated at a table he made with the help of two others Friday, Jan. 11, 2019, at the newly-built Pleasant Grove Fire Department. Isaac Hale, Daily Herald

Isaac Hale Daily Herald

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Pleasant Grove’s new fire station is equipped with needed tools and equipment to help protect and save lives. It is now also equipped with a new kitchen table, built by one of the department’s own firefighters.

“A kitchen table is one of the most important pieces of furniture of a fire service,” said Kyle Hardy, firefighter. “We use it to socialize, have meetings, talk about our families.” Hardy, who enjoys woodworking, said that Chief Dave Thomas approached him a few months ago and asked him if he would like to build something that would last throughout the lifetime of the new station.

Much of the wood and other supplies were donated and local carpenter, Glenn Snow, donated his time to help with the building of the table. Other firefighters in the department and outside the department helped with the construction, sanding and welding of the walnut table. It took about 120 hours total to build, and all of that time was while the firefighters were off-duty.

On the top of the table, there is a maple and sapele inlay displaying the number 71.

“That is our station number and our address,” Hardy said.

The “7” signifies the city of Pleasant Grove and the “1” means that it is the city’s only station.

Members of the fire department have been moving into the new building for a couple of weeks.

“It is awesome,” Hardy said. “We had safety issues before. We feel a lot safer there.” Hardy said that in the former station, it was difficult to store equipment with carcinogens safely. Also, equipment had to be stored in the bays where exhaust can cause damage and breakdown to fire gear.

The new station is the first purpose-built station that Pleasant Grove has ever had. The department has been housed in a temporary station since the previous one was demolished in September 2017. That demolished building was built in 1940 to be used as an addition to the former high school.

The most important features of the new facility are safety features dealing with security, contamination isolation and clean living quarters, according to Thomas. Other new features include training classrooms, more user-friendly public areas and business spaces.

The location of the building is one of its most important safety features, according to Thomas.

“The downtown location reduces response times in every direction,” he said.

While the building is new, some history has been preserved for it. Old Joe, a 1933 Dodge Graham Bros. truck that was originally modified into a fire truck, has been refurbished by Pleasant Grove firefighters and will be on display in front of the building. Other historic pieces and memorabilia are expected to be displayed in the new station as well.

Voters approved a bond to help fund the new five-bay fire station in November 2016. It was partially funded by donations from the public as well.

Station 71’s Hose-Cutting Ceremony will be held at 10 a.m. on Friday at 71 E. 200 South. There will be an open house with tours from 11:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. that day and on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.