Fire Station No. 2 receives formal dedication
ENCINITAS – With Fire Station No. 2 having already been in operation since Jan. 7, Deputy Chief of Operations Darrin Ward said they’ve already seen the benefits of the new location.
“Moving it right here, we’re much quicker,” he said. “Already we’re seeing a drop in response times.”
Having moved from its previous cramped quarters on McKinnon Avenue, the new location at 618 Birmingham Drive allows the crews faster access to emergency situations by being nearer to the Interstate 5 access ramps. The new location and space (the station is 6,330 square feet) also allows for the housing of an ambulance, which can respond to calls from Solana Beach to Del Mar, Encinitas and other North County coastal communities.
At the old station, they didn’t have an ambulance on site for many years, Ward said. “It was too small.”
In addition to housing an ambulance and a crew of two EMTs, the new station is home to a fire engine with a crew of three fire firefighters. The station has the ability to house three additional firefighters when needed.
City Council approved the station’s construction in 2011 at a cost of $4.6 million. It also meets the LEED standards for Silver Certification.
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- City Council members (from left) Mark Muir, Mayor Teresa Barth, Deputy Mayor Lisa Shaffer, Tony Kranz and Kristen Gaspar (not pictured) take part in the grand opening of Fire Station No. 2 in Cardiff Friday with a ceremonial “uncoupling” of the hose. Photo by Tony Cagala
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- 6-year-old Mackenzie Jurchenko, whose grandfather is a retired firefighter, helps Deputy Mayor Lisa Shaffer and others in the fire house tradition of the “pushing of the rig” into the station following the grand opening ceremony. Photo by Tony Cagala
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- Youngsters turn out to help “pushing of the rig” fire house tradition. The tradition dates back to the 19th century when horse-drawn engines had to be pushed back into the fire house. Photo by Tony Cagala
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- Left, Joe Koch and Carol Koch talk with Deputy Chief of Operations Darrin Ward at the grand opening of Fire Station No. 2. Photo by Tony Cagala
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- John Schnell of Cardiff talks to EMT Coordinator Mary Murphy on CPR. Photo by Tony Cagala
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- 7-year-old Alex Baxter (left) and Mila Ellis, 7, get some CPR training from EMT Loralee Olejnik. Photo by Tony Cagala
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Filed Under: Rancho Santa Fe News
Wow. Construction of $4.6 million. Add on all the design, administrative time, permitting, etc. and the station relocation and remodel totaled more than $6 million not including the land which the City owned. All for 3 resting fire fighters to hang out and garage a fire truck while they wait for a call, when they are not shopping or watching a movie.
I can garantee that I could build a nice station for no more than $2 million total. Again, the City is focussed on trophies and not your tax dollars.
What I have noticed is the road conditions in Encinitas now resemble San Diego’s road. Terrible.