July 8, 2026

By Mary Beth Gahan

Firefighters at Station 5 off Spinks Road were checking out the rig in April 2025 when they noticed something wrong. The truck was fine. The ceiling above it was collapsing.

The fire department called the town’s facilities department, but the issue was outside of their repair expertise. It was clear, though, that the truss — the triangular support structure between the roof and the ceiling — was failing.

By May 23, an engineer who pulled back sheetrock to inspect the issue further instructed that no one be allowed to walk in the bay. All equipment, including the reserve ambulance and engine 505, had to be moved outside.

The town called Hoefer Welker, an architecture firm that is contracted to do the Arts Center, and they came out on June 23 to look at the issue.

Station 5, built in 2010, needed immediate repairs. A full roof replacement for the middle section, which houses three apparatus bays, was recommended. The wooden truss was either not designed or installed properly and couldn’t withstand the weight it was supposed to carry. The town utilized a no-bid process because of the urgency of the situation.

“Due to the emergency [purchase order], we didn't have to go through the normal bidding process,” Fire Chief Paul Henley said.

Hoefer Welker was paid $133,000 to design and engineer the truss. Birch Construction was selected to do demolition and concrete work, reroute utilities, and install the new truss  because of “their relationship to the chosen architect and their responsiveness to the issue,” Henley said. They also have experience with fire structures.

Winter was months away, but Henley was worried about what would happen if the temperatures dropped below freezing and the truck was not in a warmer spot.

“Engines carry water and it's not good when they freeze,” he said.

The town spent $123,143.19 on temporary shoring. The scaffolding was installed in July and eventually they were able to move Engine 505 back inside.

“The guys at Station 5 did not miss beat in response time,” Henley said. “They adapted and overcame. When we were able to put that back in their house, the bay, that was a welcome relief for them, to get it out of the cold, out of the weather.”

Meanwhile, the town reviewed original plans for the station and tried to figure out if an insurance claim could be filed. It couldn’t. There also was no more warranty.

The truss was manufactured by NB Roof and Floor Trusses. The company’s name changed to Noltex Truss and, in 2023, was bought by Builders FirstSource for $83 million. The purchase only included assets, so the town couldn’t pursue a claim against them.

“We looked high and low and did what we could,” Town Manager James Childers said.

In April of this year, the town council approved a $1.4 million construction agreement with Birch Construction for the repairs, which include installing a new truss. This time, it’ll be made of cold-formed metal framing.

The town said it is vetting future fire station construction projects very carefully to ensure the same issue doesn’t occur. Station 4 in Bridlewood has the same design, Henley said, but doesn’t have as large of a span that Station 5 does. The town inspected it just in case.

“It is holding up just fine,” Henley said.