A table to gather around

It’s become a tradition for firehouses to have special kitchen tables that firefighters gather around after a fire, a place to bounce ideas around and discuss the day’s news, and Port firefighter Jason Weis took that tradition to heart recently, Fire Chief Mark Mitchell said. Weis, who Mitchell said is a fabrication master, put two pieces of wood from Ikea together, then placed a diamond-embossed piece of metal like the kind found on the steps of a fire truck around the edges. An old ladder found at the firehouses was used to make legs for the table, and decals proclaiming “Port Washington Fire Rescue” were added to the top, which was then sealed. “It turned out beautifully,” Mitchell said. “It’s the centerpiece of the fire station. It’ll be well used.” The decals, he noted, are the only part of the table not made by the department members. Gathered around the table recently were (from left) Kurt Ellmauer, Charlie Leasum, Adam Lanser and Weis.                                                                                Photo by Sam Arendt