Rescuing fire department’s rich past
Firemen turn station trash into treasure
Fireman Harold McKinley has a knack for refurbishing old furniture and equipment and has transformed the station’s sterile living room into a homey, historical haven. Photo by JAIME ANTON
NORTH ROYALTON – The City Green is home to much more than the Community Festival.
Nestled in the southwest corner is a home away from home for the firefighter paramedics of North Royalton Fire Department’s Station One.
More than a workplace it truly is home to the department in more ways than one, and firemen are breathing new life into the fire station by resuscitating pieces of history.
“If you work here 25 years, you will spend a solid eight years of that right here,” said Fireman Harold McKinley. “So you want it to feel like home because this is home. It’s a big part of our life.”
McKinley has worked at the station for 15 years and has a reputation as being the in-house arts and crafts guru. He has always had a knack for refurbishing old furniture and picking finds.
“Yep, I’m a picker. I like to watch the show American Pickers on the weekends,” he smiles.
For the past few years, he has used his talents to transform the station’s living room into a humble haven with all the comforts of home. It’s an area for the crew to unwind and let off some steam when they aren’t fielding the 3,000 plus annual emergency call volume, training or conducting the day-to-day operations.
Three years ago, the room was unrecognizable with white walls, no curtains, very sterile.
“There was a metal cart for the TV and no lamps,” McKinley said.
More than a living room, it is a slice of nostalgia paying homage to the department’s rich history that dates back to the 1940s.
There’s a picked ladder displaying various pictures of the staff between the rungs, antique extinguishers line the entertainment center created from an old Macy’s display with a central TV stand built by McKinley, a broken table was completely restored and outfitted with the station’s previous department patch, the table’s chairs are broken Pier 1 seats reupholstered using outdated fire jackets, an air tank upcycled into a lamp complete with a USB charging port, the sign from the old ladder truck that was replaced this year graces the wall over the entertainment center as the room’s prime focal point, there’s a North Royalton fire hydrant circa 1925 that looks good as new.
There’s also a flag with the names of all the safety personnel who perished in the 9/11 terrorist attack. Its frame was made using old fire hoses.
Old vehicle decals destined for the garbage have been affixed to the back of the living room door.
There’s a story behind everything, like a former assistant chief’s hat that rests on a shelf of the entertainment center.
“That hat was purchased by a gentlemen at an estate sale. (Fireman) Sean Strefas found it on Craigslist and bought it. It was from Bill Krivos’ estate sale. Bill was the assistant chief, and he’s in this picture,” McKinley said, picking up a framed black and white staff photo from the ‘60s that sits near the hat. “If you zoom in on the photo, that’s the hat, that’s the hat.”
It’s probably the paramedic in him but McKinley can’t help himself, he is simply drawn to fixing up things good as new.
“We call it arts and crafts time, and I have the guys help. Here’s an old fire hydrant someone knocked over in an accident. We took it and turned it into a lamp. Some of the guys have said we’re doing too many lamps that we have plenty of lamps now,” he said. “Let’s see we’ve got one, two, three … five lamps in this room. OK so maybe we do have a lot of lamps.”
But he is branching out.
“People give us stuff all the time and say, ‘make something out of this.’ We have this AED defibrillator case. We’ll figure out something for it,” he said, his wheels already turning.
Known for turning trash into treasure, it likely won’t be a problem for him.
“I’ve just always been crafty. I like flea markets,” McKinley said.
Things change and he said the change at the station should be recorded. That’s what each item in the living room does. More than simply décor, it’s a way of holding onto the past while embracing the future.
“The goal is to have this look change and grow too, to change things up as new guys come in and as other guys retire. This should tell a story, but also feel like home,” McKinley said, “and it does.”
He has already assigned three rookie firemen some craft homework.
“I told them their assignment is to make a project for this room … and it can’t be a lamp,” he laughed.
The next project is a 30-feet, refurbished ladder turned on its side and hung in a hallway to feature a photograph of each individual fireman in each space between the rungs.
“I’m also working on a retiree board. The chief employed me since I’m the crafty one,” he said.
Firemen from Columbus recently visited the station for training and were fascinated by the living room.
“They were dumbfounded and impressed by time and energy,” McKinley said proudly.
Many of the historical photographs prominently displayed around the room are encased in old frames from administrative assistant Kathy Salvo‘s collection and have been painted black to match.
“I thought he brought so much character to the room which adds to the fire station. Some of my favorite parts are seeing all the history displayed and the way he displays it. I think it’s important to detail the history, especially for the younger generation coming in,” Salvo said.
No doubt about it, McKinley takes pride in his work and honoring the legacy before him which is something everyone clearly appreciates.
“I think when you walk in here, it’s pride and ownership. When I talk to new employees and younger guys, we talk about having pride. When retirees come in and the outside public, like yourself, comes in, they enjoy it,” he said. “We just don’t sit around and sleep like some people think we do. We take pride when someone comes in and sees what we have built.”
Nestled in the southwest corner is a home away from home for the firefighter paramedics of North Royalton Fire Department’s Station One.
More than a workplace it truly is home to the department in more ways than one, and firemen are breathing new life into the fire station by resuscitating pieces of history.
“If you work here 25 years, you will spend a solid eight years of that right here,” said Fireman Harold McKinley. “So you want it to feel like home because this is home. It’s a big part of our life.”
McKinley has worked at the station for 15 years and has a reputation as being the in-house arts and crafts guru. He has always had a knack for refurbishing old furniture and picking finds.
“Yep, I’m a picker. I like to watch the show American Pickers on the weekends,” he smiles.
For the past few years, he has used his talents to transform the station’s living room into a humble haven with all the comforts of home. It’s an area for the crew to unwind and let off some steam when they aren’t fielding the 3,000 plus annual emergency call volume, training or conducting the day-to-day operations.
Three years ago, the room was unrecognizable with white walls, no curtains, very sterile.
“There was a metal cart for the TV and no lamps,” McKinley said.
More than a living room, it is a slice of nostalgia paying homage to the department’s rich history that dates back to the 1940s.
There’s a picked ladder displaying various pictures of the staff between the rungs, antique extinguishers line the entertainment center created from an old Macy’s display with a central TV stand built by McKinley, a broken table was completely restored and outfitted with the station’s previous department patch, the table’s chairs are broken Pier 1 seats reupholstered using outdated fire jackets, an air tank upcycled into a lamp complete with a USB charging port, the sign from the old ladder truck that was replaced this year graces the wall over the entertainment center as the room’s prime focal point, there’s a North Royalton fire hydrant circa 1925 that looks good as new.
There’s also a flag with the names of all the safety personnel who perished in the 9/11 terrorist attack. Its frame was made using old fire hoses.
Old vehicle decals destined for the garbage have been affixed to the back of the living room door.
There’s a story behind everything, like a former assistant chief’s hat that rests on a shelf of the entertainment center.
“That hat was purchased by a gentlemen at an estate sale. (Fireman) Sean Strefas found it on Craigslist and bought it. It was from Bill Krivos’ estate sale. Bill was the assistant chief, and he’s in this picture,” McKinley said, picking up a framed black and white staff photo from the ‘60s that sits near the hat. “If you zoom in on the photo, that’s the hat, that’s the hat.”
It’s probably the paramedic in him but McKinley can’t help himself, he is simply drawn to fixing up things good as new.
“We call it arts and crafts time, and I have the guys help. Here’s an old fire hydrant someone knocked over in an accident. We took it and turned it into a lamp. Some of the guys have said we’re doing too many lamps that we have plenty of lamps now,” he said. “Let’s see we’ve got one, two, three … five lamps in this room. OK so maybe we do have a lot of lamps.”
But he is branching out.
“People give us stuff all the time and say, ‘make something out of this.’ We have this AED defibrillator case. We’ll figure out something for it,” he said, his wheels already turning.
Known for turning trash into treasure, it likely won’t be a problem for him.
“I’ve just always been crafty. I like flea markets,” McKinley said.
Things change and he said the change at the station should be recorded. That’s what each item in the living room does. More than simply décor, it’s a way of holding onto the past while embracing the future.
“The goal is to have this look change and grow too, to change things up as new guys come in and as other guys retire. This should tell a story, but also feel like home,” McKinley said, “and it does.”
He has already assigned three rookie firemen some craft homework.
“I told them their assignment is to make a project for this room … and it can’t be a lamp,” he laughed.
The next project is a 30-feet, refurbished ladder turned on its side and hung in a hallway to feature a photograph of each individual fireman in each space between the rungs.
“I’m also working on a retiree board. The chief employed me since I’m the crafty one,” he said.
Firemen from Columbus recently visited the station for training and were fascinated by the living room.
“They were dumbfounded and impressed by time and energy,” McKinley said proudly.
Many of the historical photographs prominently displayed around the room are encased in old frames from administrative assistant Kathy Salvo‘s collection and have been painted black to match.
“I thought he brought so much character to the room which adds to the fire station. Some of my favorite parts are seeing all the history displayed and the way he displays it. I think it’s important to detail the history, especially for the younger generation coming in,” Salvo said.
No doubt about it, McKinley takes pride in his work and honoring the legacy before him which is something everyone clearly appreciates.
“I think when you walk in here, it’s pride and ownership. When I talk to new employees and younger guys, we talk about having pride. When retirees come in and the outside public, like yourself, comes in, they enjoy it,” he said. “We just don’t sit around and sleep like some people think we do. We take pride when someone comes in and sees what we have built.”