AC failure prompts temporary relocation of Salisbury Fire Station Crews

SALISBURY, Md. — Crews at Salisbury’s Fire Station 2 were temporarily relocated in recent weeks due to a failure in the station’s air conditioning system, city officials said, with full repairs expected to be completed by July 18.

The issue began on June 25, when the city’s primary HVAC vendor estimated the cost of replacing the aging system’s components at more than $7,000, excluding labor and additional materials. In an effort to exercise fiscal responsibility, officials sought a second opinion and temporarily deployed portable AC units throughout the station.

By June 28, the remaining operational compressor leg failed, rendering the station’s HVAC system completely non-functional. Citing the urgent need to protect firefighter health and safety, officials chose to move forward with the original vendor before receiving the second estimate.

Despite the use of portable units and fans, the station’s fixed windows and inadequate attic ventilation made effective cooling nearly impossible. Fire personnel were relocated to nearby Station 16 during evening and overnight hours, just 1.3 miles away, allowing the department to maintain full emergency coverage.

Firefighters continued to operate from Station 2 during daytime hours using engine bays to respond to calls.

Replacement parts ordered on June 28 arrived damaged on July 7. The vendor coordinated a return and obtained new components, which arrived by July 14. Repairs are currently underway and expected to be completed by the end of the week.

City officials emphasized that the temporary relocation had no significant impact on emergency response times. Between June 26 and July 15, EMS response times improved slightly, with 84.3% of calls meeting the city’s goal of responding within eight minutes, compared to 83.5% in May. Fire response times increased by just eight seconds, from an average of 4 minutes and 12 seconds to 4 minutes and 20 seconds — a change officials called statistically insignificant.

“The safety of our heroic personnel and the reliability of our emergency services remain our top priorities,” the city said in a statement. “We thank the community for their patience and understanding.”