The firefighters in east McComb are now able to sleep, cook and shower in a single place thanks to a borrowed Katrina Cottage on East Michigan Avenue.
The cottage is tucked in an alley way between the old fire station, which has been abandoned after it was condemned, and the steel skeleton that will soon become a new fire station.
The Katrina Cottage is a remnant of Hurricane Katrina. It’s a small but sturdy house that was meant to provide new housing for hurricane victims who lost everything, and an alternative to the once-ubiquitous FEMA trailers.
The building packs two bunk beds, a couch with a pull-out bed, full kitchen and bathroom into 408 square feet.
In a job so unpredictable, the seemingly small facility gives firefighters some comforts of home.
“We’re able to cook, clean and get showers now where we couldn’t before,” Lt. David Fischer said.
If there’s a spare moment to be had, firefighters on duty can spend it lounging on the couch, watching TV or playing video games.
Until June firefighters stationed in east McComb stayed in the Public Works building or at Station 4 on Parklane Road.
“It’s helped with response time because when we stayed (at Public Works), we had to unlock and lock the gate before left,” Fischer said.
Fischer said the closer location gives firefighters a higher chance of saving someone’s life and property.
“It saves our response time about 11⁄2 minutes from when we were at Station 4,” Fischer said.
Fischer said when a home is on fire every second counts when a person’s life is at stake.
“Everything made now burns quicker and faster, not to mention the combustibles that may be in a home,” he said. “Seconds are like minutes and minutes are like hours when your house is on fire.”
Firefighter Jason Wallace said even though the cottage is used as a place for firefighters to stay temporarily, it’s open to the public from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.
“Just show up and hang out,” he said. “You can’t be there after 9 p.m., though.”
