Wrapped by Empie Park, at the corner of Independence Boulevard and Park Avenue, Station 2 is one of Wilmington’s many fire stations.
Built in 2011, Station 2 is a Special Operations station staffed by the department’s technical rescue team for unique emergencies including confined space, structural collapse, trench, high-rise and motor vehicle extractions, and swift water. A crisis response dog is a part of the A-shift team.
The station houses Rescue 2 and Engine 2, as well as Technical Rescue 1, a 2,000 HT-Hackney Light rescue apparatus with a 20-foot cargo trailer.
Midyear, the station took possession of a 1996 M1083 retired Army tactical vehicle purchased by the fire department less than a year ago. Painted fire-engine red inside and out, the high-water truck was purchased with funds from a New Hanover Community Endowment grant then outfitted with a canvas top and air conditioning from Eastern Surplus & Equipment Company in Feasterville, Pennsylvania.
In addition to the new paint, the department added logos, lights and sirens. The truck is filled with dry suits, lifejackets, water rescue throw ropes, and hoses. With a snorkel exhaust, the engine intake is elevated to the cab level.
The military cargo vehicle, manufactured by Stewart & Stevenson, was acquired for high-water rescues from a surplus company. Its tires stand 48” high. Weighing in at 20,896 lbs., the length before modifications was 22’10’, it is 8’ wide and 9’4” in overall height.
It has a rear rescue platform that could be a swim-up platform in high-water events.
“Typically, these trucks can go in water to rescue people up to 50 inches,” says Dave Newman, owner of Eastern Surplus & Equipment Company. “That’s a lot of water.”
The cargo area is outfitted with 14 seats and room for more.
“It is going to be a good asset,” firefighter Robby Gauseman said in August.
When a September tropical system brought close to 20 inches of rain in one day, the rapid flooding took the community by surprise. Some Carolina Beach Elementary School students had to be taken home in the high-water truck. Rescue teams also assisted people in crossing flooded streets and out of stalled cars.
The Wilmington Fallen Firefighters Memorial shares the station’s footprint. The memorial, dedicated in 2013, honors eight Wilmington firefighters who lost their lives in the line of duty as well as the 343 New York City firefighters who died from the terrorist attack on Sept. 11, 2001. The center of the memorial depicts a firefighter holding a piece of salvaged steel beam from the World Trade Center.
The Gary Shell Cross-City Trail and the River to Sea Bike Route intersect at the front of this fire station.