More privacy and better sleep coming to Norfolk Fire and Rescue

NORFOLK, Neb.— You usually see firefighters out battling blazes or rescuing cats from trees but where do they go when night falls and they’re still on shift?

For the Norfolk Fire and Rescue team, that used to mean a shared bunk room with multiple beds. But in a couple of months, that will change, as the department transitions to individual rooms designed to give firefighters more space and better rest.

“We recently went from 24/48 shift schedule to 48/96, which puts a lot of our staff here for two days in a row, so sleep becomes very important,” Assistant Fire Chief Trevor O’Brian said. “A lot of times we're up during the night anyway, going on calls, but this allows people an area to come back to that can be their own.”

The renovation started at the beginning of March and is expected to be completed sometime this summer.

Along with the new bedrooms, the renovation will also include an updated locker space and designated work areas for reports and the lieutenant's office. 

The project is estimated to cost around $100,000, with the final total still to be determined. When looking back at old photos, the department realized the last time this space was updated was in 1987 making this renovation long overdue.

“They're super excited. Actually, the morale's been great. When we did a few components of the project early on ourselves, like moving some of our lockers and things like that. It was all hands on deck, nobody really struggled with that. They're excited to be able to have their own space and have this project complete,”  O’Brian said.

For now the team is spilt up and shuffled around the fire house but soon will be all together again, just with a little extra privacy.