April 11, 2023 Moments after Whiteland crews left the bunkroom, the roof collapsed on their empty beds.
Source Firehouse.com News
Getting a call in the middle of the night comes with being a firefighter.
For an Indiana crew, that unwelcome wake-up call earlier this month saved their lives
Whiteland Chief Eric Funkhouser told WTHR moments after they left, the bunkroom ceiling came crashing down as the station was hit by an EF3 tornado.
“…This is where all the firefighters beds are. Some of the bed frames have been damaged. All of the ceiling collapsed down on top of them. The roof collapsed down. The trusses, everything, fell into that room.”
The day room also took a hit and now features “a new open concept.”
“It picked up all kinds of debris. It ripped the roof off the front side. Really peeled it off.”
The bay area was the least damaged area but the station is still open to the elements.
Crews have relocated to the New Whiteland firehouse about a mile away. It’s cramped, but the chief said it’s only temporary.
Insurance investigators are checking out the station to determine what’s next.
The chief said the storm uncovered a few things as well. The metal station — built more than 20 years ago — has no bricks or concrete.
“So this kind of brings to light a whole other thing for us to be looking at as we’re designing stations or building stations in the future…Back then, it probably wasn’t at the forefront of our minds. You know, we’re used to going out and helping people and this time it comes through and hits our station.”