A recent grant will help the Keizer Fire District add intercoms and magnetic door locks to the Chemawa Road station.

The district was awarded a $2,500 grant from the Special Districts Association of Oregon, which supports local government districts performing services such as water delivery, fire protection and cemetery maintenance. 

Battalion Chief Christina Wilson said the grant will go towards a $10,000 security project allowing office staff to control who can enter the building. 

Similar to Keizer schools, those entering the fire district will ring a buzzer on an intercom to be let in. The district’s emergency phone for the public will be moved outside of the building. 

Wilson said the upgrades are intended to improve safety for the office staff as well as the property. She said the station sometimes empties when staff respond to a fire, leaving only one office worker in the building. 

The district receives visitors who are in a mental health crisis or intoxicated, and Wilson said those situations can be challenging for one person to manage.

“A lot of times our office staff, they’re not trained for medical or crisis intervention, and so they feel unsafe,” Wilson said. She added that the district has seen instances of vandalism in the building. 

Wilson said the intercom system is a trend among public safety buildings that the Keizer Fire District is now “catching up to.” 

Wilson said the district doesn’t have a schedule yet for when the features will be added.

NEWS TIP? Contact reporter Krista Kroiss at [email protected].

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