What started as an idea for MERCK to donate an old building to the Albany Fire Department, for storing supplies and equipment, evolved into a $100,000 check to build a brand new facility
/ Sean Streicher
ALBANY, GA -- What started as an idea for the pharmaceutical company, MERCK, to donate an old building to the Albany Fire Department, for storing supplies and equipment, evolved into a $100,000 check to build a brand new facility.
"When we really started asking questions on what they needed, it seemed that the building that we would relocate would not serve their best needs," said Nancy Valaike the Director Global Facilities Management.
The Albany Fire department currently has supplies spread out, at each of its 11 fire stations, which can be very inconvenient for their technicians. The new building, which will be constructed at the fire departments training facility on Honeysuckle Drive, will provide a central location, allowing maintenance crews to fix, and get equipment back into use, quicker.
"Just say that an air pack goes down, if it's out of serve that means one of our firefighters may not have an air pack, so he's limited to what he can do at a fire scene, so the quicker we can get that fixed and back in service the quicker that employee is fully effective on the fire truck," said Chief Carswell from the Albany Fire Department.
The donation, will also free up SPLOST 6 funds to be spent on other projects, like a new fire station.
MERCK officials say they hope to come down and see the finish product, when it is complete.
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