Doylestown Firefighters Cut The Ribbon On State-Of-The-Art Gym

DOYLESTOWN, PA — Confetti flew through the air as the Doylestown Fire Company No. 1 cut the ribbon on a new state-of-the-art fitness center inside its Doylestown Township substation.

Since the gym’s soft opening at the end of March, usage at the new gym has been through the roof, said fire captain Nick Tartaglia, who spearheaded the project for the department.

“Everyone was so eager to get in there. The whole time we were building it we had to keep people from going in because everyone wanted to get to it,” he said.

The new fitness center is all about building a stronger fire service by strengthening its foundation – the firefighter, said Tartaglia.

The new gym features about a dozen workout stations, including free weights, a tread mill, an elliptical, a stair climber, stationary bikes, a rowing machine and more.

“The stair climber is one of my favorites because obviously in our line of work we’re carrying a lot of weight up a lot of steps,” said Tartaglia. “It’s so we can be ready for any emergency.”

For inclusion in the gym, Tartaglia said they picked equipment “that would strengthen the muscles we use on the fire ground. We also picked quality equipment, which we know will last a while. And ultimately we chose a good assortment of equipment so people of all levels and age groups could participate.”

The new gym, he said, is designed to provide firefighters with a full body workout in preparation for the workout they will get out on a fire scene. "We had that in mind when we designed this gym.”

State Senator Steve Santarsiero gets a workout at the new gym.

State Rep. Tim Brennan takes part in warm-up exercises before hitting the new gym.

In addition to keeping its volunteers in shape, it has the added benefit of being a new tool the company can use in its ongoing recruitment and retention campaign.

“This is going to be a huge asset to bring people in the door, to keep them long term. This is also going to help keep our current volunteers in shape and on the job. A lot of our volunteers had to join a gym prior to us having this,” said Tartaglia. "They can now work out here at the firehouse in private."

The addition of fitness centers at fire houses is a growing trend across the nation especially with statistics coming out that most of the firefighter deaths are cardiovascular-related.

“We do everything we need to do to be able to perform the job, but we need to stay in shape in order to to the job. For us this is a huge thing to have," said Tartaglia. "We are greatly appreciative of getting this grant and being able to do this. This helps our mission for the community.”

State Senator Steve Santarsiero, who helped secure an $80,000 grant to fund the new gym, was on hand with State Rep. Tim Brennan for the opening this month, to try out the equipment and to celebrate the company’s latest addition.

After trying out several pieces of equipment, Santarsiero and Brennan took a turn on the elliptical loaded down with a heavy air pack and turnout gear.

State Senator Steve Santarsiero works out on the elliptical loaded down with gear.

State Rep. Tim Brennan works out on the elliptical loaded down with heavy gear

The firefighters presented State Sen. Santarsiero with a plaque "with deep appreciation for your assistance in funding the Doylestown Fire Company Fitness Facility."

“I think it gave both of us a whole new appreciation for what all of our volunteer firefighters do for us every day,” said Santarsiero.

“It’s an amazing space they created here,”added Brennan. “This is actually nicer than the gym in the Capitol - without a doubt. And these guys definitely deserve it. We need to do what we can to keep them operating. What would we do if we didn’t have them?”

While at the fire company, Santarsiero presented the volunteers with a second grant, this one for $100,000 in state funds for a new alert siren and emergency cart.

“During a previous visit to the station President Paul Kreuter shared with me the need for these upgrades and I was happy to support the work of our firefighters to keep our community safe,” said Santarsiero.

State Senator Steve Santarsiero, center, and State Rep. Tim Brennan present fire company president Paul Kreuter with a check for $100,000 for a new fire siren and emergency cart.