PALOMAR — San Diego County and Cal Fire have completed $6 million in improvements to two fire stations in the northernmost reaches of the county, it was announced Tuesday.
County Fire Station 79 opened recently with new living quarters for firefighters serving Palomar Mountain. The $4 million project includes sleeping quarters, a kitchen and dining room, a day room and laundry room, the county said in a statement.
The cabin-style building will replace a home built on the property in the 1930s. The modern building has exposed wood columns and beams, a stone veneer and a covered patio.
“We have been fortunate to avoid major wildfires over the past few years, but we know risk in this region is constant,” said County Supervisor Jim Desmond, who represents the North County communities the fire stations will cover.
“These new fire stations will provide resources with up-to-date equipment and stronger staffing levels, which will enable our public safety officials to halt the forward rate of spread to the more populated areas as well as being an integral part of our unincorporated communities.”
The new construction is intended to allow for the existing space to be updated and turned back over to the community for use by neighbors in the area.
“We want to provide the community and our firefighters first-class equipment and facilities for the highest level of service to residents and visitors,” said San Diego County Fire Director Jeff Collins. “We are grateful for the investments made by San Diego County at Fire Station 79.”
Cal Fire/San Diego County Fire Chief Tony Mecham said he sees benefits for fire crews from the construction.
“These fire stations are staffed 24/7 with professional firefighters, responding to all types of emergencies,” he said. “The communities we serve become a second home for these men and women, who are on duty days — and sometimes weeks — at a time. We want to provide them safe living quarters as they work to protect San Diego County.”
According to the county, construction at the remote site created special challenges for contractors working at the site. Crews had to excavate 13 feet into the mountain to create a proper foundation. Workers also had to work through COVID-19 supply chain material shortages and the cold, snowy weather that is present at the highest elevation in San Diego County.
“Platt Whitelaw Architects and EC Constructors delivered a spectacular building which complements the mountain aesthetic,” said County General Services Director Marko Medved. “We are replacing a building that served the Palomar Mountain community for more than 90 years and we want crews to serve neighbors from this new building for 90 more.”
Crews also renovated a remote fire station at Sunshine Summit, along state Route 79 north of Warner Springs. At this site, crews added 900 square feet to the vehicle bay to allow for the addition of a water tender to Cal Fire Station 59.
The $2 million project adds the vehicle space, a 5,000-gallon water tank with a pump to fill trucks and a new exhaust system to keep the bay free of exhaust fumes.