CARLSBAD — A state-of-the-art addition is open for operation.
The city of Carlsbad’s Fire Station 3 has officially moved from its old converted house off Chestnut Avenue to its new location just to the south, providing first responders with a modern building and expanded space to meet current and future public safety needs, according to a press release from the city.
Carlsbad Fire Division Chief Mike Lopez said that the new Fire Station 3 will improve service to residents citywide.
“Our new Fire Station 3 is better positioned to get our firefighters out the door and to the scene of an emergency more efficiently, so they can start making a difference as quickly as possible,” Lopez said. “The new fire station also accommodates today’s modern fire apparatus, and gives us better access to the immediate neighborhood, to other neighborhoods in Carlsbad, and to emergencies on Interstate 5 and Highway 78.”
The new Fire Station 3 is on the northwest corner of Cannon Road and Wind Trail Way, near El Camino Real. Located in the developing Robertson Ranch neighborhood, the new 10,400 square-foot building is also close to established neighborhoods in northeastern Carlsbad, such as Calavera Hills and the Colony. The station’s location will also enable firefighters immediate access to the open space around Calavera Hills, so they can respond quickly to brush fires.
The new fire station will house a fire engine, ambulance and other emergency vehicles in its three vehicle bays, each of which is long enough to accommodate two standard engines or the city’s 63-foot ladder truck. Its garage, called an apparatus bay, has a 28-feet-high ceiling.
About half the building’s space will be dedicated to office and administrative spaces, dormitories, separate shower and locker facilities for men and women, a kitchen, a dining room, a shop and equipment storage. The building will also be secured with a fence and security gate and be equipped with an emergency backup generator.
The new station includes several sustainable design features that reduce energy costs and greenhouse gas emissions including LED exterior lighting, high efficiency air-conditioning units and the use of concentrated sunlight to illuminate building interiors during daytime. The project is designed to meet LEED Silver certification standards.
The $6.1 million construction project is included in the city’s Capital Improvement Program and is being paid for through the Public Facilities Fund. The fund is made up of fees collected from developers to fund construction of public facilities related to the impacts from development. No additional personnel will be required to staff the new fire station.
1 comment
What a rotten spot for the fire station. Instead of putting it in the ample industrial area of town, like where the police station and city dump is, they shove it into a cramped residential neighborhood, with suitable spots for the station north, south and east of it. Those poor folks who bought those 3/4 million $ homes on the west end of Glen Avenue… promised a soccer field/quiet park at purchase, now piggybacked onto loud sirens and big trucks speeding in and out all hours of the day and night… YAY!
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