March 28, 2024

NFD adding amenities to fire house

Sauna, massage chair funds donated from fire academy grad

When requests of a sauna and massage chairs come up for city purchases, it is not surprising that questions follow. Newton Fire Chief Jarrod Wellik explained to city council how the amenities will be used and the generous place the funds came from to make them a reality.

“We had, this spring, our citizen fire academy,” Wellik said. “During the academy we had one of the members come forward that they had the availability to donate some funds and wanted to know if there were any specific projects we were looking at doing. Specifically, what they said is they wanted it to be used to benefit the people of the fire department. They preferred that we do something to take care of the people who provide services everyday.”

The donation totaled $10,000 and along with remaining funds from the Firefighter Memorial Fundraising group at $2,716 and a $1,000 donation by Mittera, the parent company of Rock Communications, the department had more than $13,700 to use toward items benefiting fire department staff. A few of the firefighters had been researching an infrared sauna, which can be used in the detoxification process after a firefighter returns from a call.

“Firefighters actually have twice the incidents of cancer than the general public. They are attributing a lot of it to the fact that, when you go inside the fire, most of the nasty chemicals are pushed into the gear by the heat, the smoke and the steam that is produced,” Wellik said. “The sauna allows for when they come back from calls or after they have been exposed to the toxins, they can sit in there and it actually helps to sweat it out. It has been found it is a great method to getting them out.”

Also approved for purchase are two massage chairs for the department. Wellik said currently the hospitals in Des Moines are equipped with the chairs in the EMS waiting areas and are found to be used frequently. The addition to the department will bring an added amenity for firefighters on duty.

Finally the remaining funds will be used to begin the process of remodeling the kitchen at the fire station.

The sauna is slated to cost $5,000, including installation. The message chairs were approved for purchase from Store for Homes in Newton at $5,200 and $3,516 will go towards the kitchen remodel.

Contact Jamee A. Pierson at
641-792-3121 ext. 6534
or jpierson@newtondailynews.com