Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - February 14, 2014, Winnipeg, Manitoba C M Y K PAGE A3 Probably the one piece of furniture that has changed its function more than any other is the dining table. At one time, Sunday dinners were almost mandatory, so a large dining table was a pre- requisite. However, with more women entering the work force, it became more difficult to keep up the tradition. Thus, the need for a separate dining room with its large table became replaced by the " great room" serving many purposes. Still the time comes, when we would like to have a formal dinner, and the furniture manufacturers are stepping up to the plate. They now offer dining tables that take up very little room but are designed to expand for the occasional time they are needed. Drexel Heritage came out with a most unique idea. They are offering a 18" deep table, which would take up very little space along a wall, but with its two large drop down leaves becomes a 36" x 72" table. Large enough for 6 and possibly 8. This table is counter height, which works wonders when you need extra work space and also features 4 drawers plus two large open shelves. Bernhardt has also come out with a drop side table, that again only takes up 14 inches, but will open up to a 60" round table, large enough for 8 to dine comfortably. Another manufacturer stepping up to the plate is Bermex, a Canadian solid wood company who is making a small round 30" dining table which opens to a 50" oval, large enough for 6 to dine. Midi another Canadian Manufacturer is making a small square table, in various sizes, with a flip- top that doubles its size. And at the other end of the spectrum we have a table that closed is 54" round, but will open with its 6 leaves to an extremely generous 162" that could comfortably seat 18. ( most dining rooms are not even that long) After 45 years, it still amazes us, when innovative manufacturers come up with what seems like the impossible solution. I often describe my job as the grown- up version of " playing house" with all the new things that come out on the market. And this is why I love what I do! DREXEL HERITAGE . BERNHARDT . HANCOCK & MOORE . AMERICAN DREW By Cynthia Brick BARRYMORE . DURHAM . STANLEY . HANCOCK & MOORE . AMERICAN DREW There is no association between Brick's Furniture & The Brick Warehouse THE DINING REVOLUTION Email: bricks@ mts. net Website: www. bricksfinefurniture. mb. ca Cynthia and Fred Brick own Brick's Fine Furniture 145 MARKET AVE. . 957- 1211 wwwbricksfinefurniture. com " Still the time comes, when we would like to have a formal dinner, and the furniture manufacturers are stepping up to the plate." Gimli Fish 596 Dufferin Ave. 204- 589- 3474 625 Pembina Hwy. 204- 477- 6831 1604 St. Mary's Rd. 204- 256- 3474 Lobster Tails 4 for $ 20 All payments bi- weekly principle interest and taxes included OAC. 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Psychology works for: P OSTPARTUM D EPRESSION Manitoba Psychology Society Visit us at www. mps. ca TOP NEWS WINNIPEG FREE PRESS, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2014 winnipegfreepress. com A 3 T HE never- ending debate over fireparamedic stations in the city is delaying the replacement of crumbling facilities and putting public safety at risk, says the president of the United Fire Fighters of Winnipeg. Alex Forrest said at least five stations within the Perimeter Highway are in dire need of being mothballed and replaced with modern stations, but the mud- slinging in city council over the treatment received by Shindico Realty - which built four new fire halls over the past couple of years - has had a " chilling effect" on construction plans. " It has just shut everything down. There is no movement from anyone, the politicians or the bureaucracy, about replacing these fire halls," he said. Of particular concern to Forrest is the new Waverley West development, where houses continue to spring up, but a fire hall is not currently on any neighbourhood blueprint. " We have an area the size of a small city, and the majority of the houses will be built there before the fire hall goes in," he said. Forrest said Waverley West is " two to three times" the size of Sage Creek, another new housing development on the southeastern outskirts of town that experienced several major fires before a local fire hall was built. " The situation at Waverley West is exactly what we thought we had learned at Sage Creek. The residents there had sub- standard response times," he said. In the case of any emergencies in Waverley West, firefighters will be deployed from the closest out- of- area stations at Scurfield Boulevard and Waverley Street or Pembina Highway and Dalhousie Drive, Forrest said. " Waverley West is a larger area, so more is at stake. The residents there don't pay less taxes, but they're going to get less service that has to do with saving their lives, that's ( fire and paramedic)," he said. A city spokesman said Waverley West is currently served by Station 22 ( on Waverley), Station 12 ( Taylor Avenue and Beaverbrook Street) and Station 18 ( on Roblin). To give an indication of the current state of some fire halls, Forrest said the recently shuttered facility on Berry Street had a stable area where horses used to be kept. In another station in Charleswood, you could see the ground below through the cracks in the floor. Firefighters there stuffed whatever they could into the cracks to keep the cold from getting in. Forrest said the first fire truck can get to 90 per cent of Winnipeg four minutes from the first phone call and a full complement can be there in eight minutes. There is a six- to 10- minute window to get inside a house to conduct a rescue, he said. " We won't even be able to get one fire truck ( to Waverley West) in eight minutes," he said. The longer it takes for firefighters to arrive on the scene, the more dangerous it is, particularly with new composite and plastic construction materials and lightweight metal supports that warp in hot temperatures. " A fire in Sage Creek spreads five times faster, is more toxic and has a higher temperature ( than elsewhere in the city.) We're finding the floors and roofs are collapsing in six to 10 minutes. It's usually 15 to 20 minutes," he said. Bob Downs, development manager at Shindico Realty, said the four fire halls in question - on Taylor Avenue, Roblin Boulevard, Sage Creek Boulevard and Portage Avenue - are larger and have vastly improved amenities for the firefighters. For example, some of the antiquated ones were built in the days before female firefighters joined the force and don't have separate change rooms. In some, a bank of lockers serves as the barrier between male and female change areas. " Who is a better firefighter: somebody sleeping in a dorm room or in a locker room?" he asked. Forrest said the new fire halls are a vast improvement over the old ones. " The firefighters are overjoyed with them. They're well- built and the locations are perfect. Public safety is better with those new halls," he said. Forrest said because the Portage Avenue hall is state of the art, it allows for important training of firefighters. " It also gives us fast access to River Heights, which is important for that whole area," he said. Downs said more than three- quarters of the city's fire halls are more than 30 years old with one on Sargent recently having passed the century mark. He said the firm won four contracts totalling $ 15 million to build the fire halls because its bids were lower than the competition. He said Shindico's plan to build the Portage Avenue location in the cloverleaf off Route 90 saved the city $ 10 million because it didn't have to expropriate businesses and homeowners to build on nearby land. The bids for the other three halls were each at least $ 1 million cheaper than other bids, he said. Downs disputed a recent audit that said the contracts were awarded on a " non- competitive basis." " We've played by the rules all the time, and we'll play by the rules again and probably take the heat like we always have," he said. geoff. kirbyson@ freepress. mb. ca Raising alarm on fire halls ' It has just shut everything down. There is no movement from anyone, the politicians or the bureaucracy, about replacing these fire halls' - Alex Forrest, president of the United Fire Fighters of Winnipeg Public at risk as replacement of facilities delayed: union By Geoff Kirbyson WAYNE GLOWACKI / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Fire Station No. 5, at 845 Sargent Ave., is about a century old. Many of the city's aging buildings need replacing, says the head of the union representing firefighters. Alex Forrest A_ 05_ Feb- 14- 14_ FP_ 01. indd A3 2/ 13/ 14 7: 11: 20 PM ;