Redmond firehouse gets special new kitchen table, crafted by Redmond HS wood shop students
REDMOND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- A Redmond firehouse has a special new kitchen table to gather around, one created by the wood shop class at Redmond High School -- a project delayed by the pandemic that has come to beautiful fruition.
Here's a release issued Monday by Redmond Fire & Rescue about the special project:
One of the most sacred areas of a firehouse, not to mention one of the most sacred aspects of a firefighter’s career, is the firehouse kitchen table. Our second family consists of those who we are fortunate to serve alongside on every shift for 48 hours or any length of time.
Those who are not in the fire service may not understand the importance of the firehouse kitchen table; many people simply don’t spend much of their day at the table in their home. They eat on the run or maybe in another room, or they eat and run to do other, more important things.
However, for those in the fire service, it is not uncommon to spend a significant portion of their day at the kitchen table. Here, they try to solve the department’s problem of the day or an issue in the fire service or the world, or it is where they eat their meals or just have coffee, “shoot the bull” to get to know their crew, just have fun while waiting for the bell to go off, or deal with the next assigned task.
In the fall of 2019, Captain Josh Clark, with Redmond Fire & Rescue, contacted Allen Wheeler, the wood shop teacher with Redmond High School, to inquire if the students in the wood shop would be interested in building a new kitchen table for Redmond Fire & Rescue. The reply, was an "absolute yes!"
Later that same year, Redmond Fire & Rescue purchased the wood from a local shop, and the Redmond High students set to working on the table.
Just as quickly as work began on the table, it was quickly halted due to the pandemic. However, the students of Mr. Wheeler’s class preserved and overcame the obstacle, and in just under three years, Redmond Fire & Rescue has a new kitchen table in which to gather around.
Thank you to the students of the Redmond High School wood shop for their hard work and tireless hours spent working on the table. All the students should feel proud of the finished product that they created. Thank you to BASX Solutions, located in Redmond, for the donation of the steel for the base of the table.
