Chief Brent Pohlschneider of the Piqua Fire Department briefs Congressman Warren Davidson on the need for a new Piqua Fire Station as Davidson paid a visit to the department regarding a new federal infrastructure bill making its way through Congress.
Mike Ullery | Miami Valley Today
Congressman Warren Davidson chats with Upper Valley Career Center student Izeke Benedict from Covington during a tour of the UVCC campus on Tuesday.
Mike Ullery | Miami Valley Today
By Sam Wildow
PIQUA — U.S. Representative Warren Davidson visited the Upper Valley Career Center (UVCC) and the Piqua Fire Department during local tours on Tuesday morning.
At UVCC, Davidson met with SkillsUSA officers from the upper Miami Valley to discuss career tech education and hear their personal career tech stories. Historically, regional and state SkillsUSA officers get to travel to Washington D.C. each year to meet with legislators. Those trips have been canceled in the past two years due to COVID, so Davidson visited UVCC in person and also toured several manufacturing-related labs at UVCC, as well.
At the Piqua Fire Department, Piqua Fire Chief Brent Pohlschneider discussed the department’s needs at its 95-year-old fire station, which is located off of West Water Street in downtown Piqua.
Pohlschneider expressed interest in House Bill 3728, which is a proposed bill that would direct the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to establish a grant program to modify, upgrade, and construct fire and emergency medical services (EMS) department facilities. Pohlschneider said if the bill advances through Congress, the department would request a letter of support from Davidson through his office to go with a grant request.
Pohlschneider said the city currently has property available to house a new fire station, but the department is currently looking for additional funding sources to build a new fire station.
“We have not received any solid funding pieces in place,” Pohlschneider said. “We’re looking at all avenues at being able to do that.”
The department is facing a number of challenges at its current location, where the department has been operating out of since 1927. It is facing issues with roofing, the HVAC system, wiring, and exhaust capture. The facility’s HVAC system is not commercial grade, and the facility also lacks a negative pressure ventilation area.
Pohlschneider added that equipment sizes have grown since the building was designed, so the facility is not always conducive to the department’s equipment.
“That’s something that we have to be mindful in,” Pohlschneider said, explaining the department has to make sure its equipment can make it in and out of the building.
Pohlschneider added they were very thankful and appreciative of Davidson taking the time to visit the fire station.
“We keep hearing about real needs for local investments that benefit from federal grant programs,” Davidson said following the visit. “It was great to meet with Chief Brent Pohlschneider to discuss Piqua Fire Department’s plans for a new ladder truck and fire station.”
