New Station Generators Help Tulsa Firefighters Stay Winter Weather Ready

Tulsa's firefighters will be better prepared for severe weather because of new backup generators going into firehouses.

Firefighters work and live some in the station, so it's a big problem if they don't have power.

It's not the best-looking addition in front of a historic firehouse, but this backup generator will make a big difference for firefighters the next time the power goes.

For the first time, Fire Station 5 has a generator that can power everything in the station.

The old one basically ran the lights and the radio. It wouldn't even open the doors.

"We would end up having to take a pike pole, to raise the door and get the fire truck out of here,” TFD firefighter Keith Hickson said.

Hickson worked through several major ice storms, including the big one that left the station without power for a week. They had to leave the doors up and the trucks running during extreme cold, otherwise the water in the trucks would freeze.

The old generator wouldn't run the heater in the building.

"It would only run a part of the station, and it was hooked to what they thought was essential,” Hickson said. “So it left us in a bad position, during the ice storm, when the power was out. Basically it was as cold inside as it was outside, and that's because we didn't have the ability to maintain the place.

The upgrades will add capable generators to every station that doesn't have one.

Three are being installed this week at Stations 5, 12, and 18.

They're among the oldest of Tulsa's 30 fire stations.

"A building built in 1932, there wasn't a lot of modern features, electronics that [were] thought about when this thing was built,” Hickson said.

The money for generators, some new trucks and other equipment comes out of the "Improve Our Tulsa" bond issue that voters approved.

These were a top priority for the money, so they could go in before winter.