A truly historic table

Ben Godar

When firefighters at Station 11 gather around the dining table, they

will soon be gathering around a piece of the department’s history.

When the old Fire Station 11 was demolished in 1998 and relocated

into the Police and Fire Headquarters, firefighters chiseled out a

department logo that was set into the terrazzo floor. The piece has

been in storage ever since.

“We didn’t know what to do with it,” Capt. Ron Bell said. “Then

[Firefighter Eric Jueden] came up with the idea of embedding it in a

table.”

The department paid about $1,000 for the materials, but Jueden

said the firefighters have donated the labor to get the table made.

He said every firefighter at Station 11 has pitched in on the

project.

The logo, which is about two feet square, has been resealed and

touched up with a coat of gold leafing, Jueden said. It is being set

in an oak table that is 8 feet by 12 feet, which will seat up to 20

firefighters.

When the table is completed, Jueden said it will be an upgrade

over the four purple, plastic-laminate tables that firefighters have

been using.

“I hope it adds a little more pride in the department and in the

station,” he said.

The stone logo will be particularly appropriate because

firefighters have nicknamed Station 11 “The Rock,” Bell said. He and

other firefighters said they hope the table becomes a fixture at the

station for decades to come.

“The guys appreciate all the city does in building these stations

for us, so it’s nice to make them even better in whatever way we

can,” Jueden said.