PHOTOS: On Friday, the Bemidji Fire Department heard confirmation that it would soon receive congressional funds to upgrade its main living space, a need that Fire Chief Justin Sherwood has expressed numerous times.
“The locker room is very much original, or very close to the original 1970 design, which was built specifically for males,” Sherwood explained, “but Bemidji fire has now employed both males and females. So, we’re going to use that to provide individual sleeping areas so they can actually have some privacy.
“(We will) also build up a bathroom and locker room facility that separates the genders, because right now, it’s one open space. So, no matter who’s using it, you have to verbalize to everybody else that you’re going to shower or that you’re going to use the bathroom. That gets challenging at times โ it’s not good for anybody.”
The congressional direct spending grant will award the department $450,000 to update the dorm area, bathroom and locker space. Sherwood expects that the department will receive these funds soon.
