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Fire Station 1
After two years of construction, Oceanside's new Fire Station 1 is complete. Photo by Terry Gorman Brown.
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Oceanside dedicates new Fire Station 1

OCEANSIDE — A procession of pipes and drums paraded downtown in celebration of the city officially dedicating its new Fire Station 1 on July 15.

The small parade moved from the nearly 100-year-old current fire station on Pier View Way to the nearby new fire station at 401 N. Freeman St., located directly across from the Civic Center parking garage.

Fire crews can expect to begin using the new fire station within another week or two.

“They are finishing up some punch list items on equipment before staffing,” said via email Terry Gorman Brown, senior management analyst with the city manager’s office.

Oceanside broke ground on the new fire station in July 2022 to replace the historic station, which was constructed in 1929 and is thought to be one of the oldest operating fire stations in the nation.

The historic building, designed by famed architect Irving Gill, does not accommodate modern-sized fire engines and equipment – and requires seismic upgrading as well. The old station will be preserved for a future community use.

The new, two-level, 20,000-square foot Fire Station 1 has been designed to accommodate larger ladder trucks and crews to better serve residents, businesses and visitors.

The building’s ground floor includes a lobby, training rooms and a five-bay apparatus and equipment space. The second floor has living accommodations for up to 12 personnel. The station is complete with an emergency generator, diesel fuel tank and rooftop solar panels.

Artwork by Sasha Furlan was installed around the station’s firepole. According to the city, the art piece is meaningful for local firefighters and offers a nod to the “ghost” of the historic station nearby.

Funding from Measure X, Oceanside’s half-cent sales tax, supplied the project’s major design and construction costs.

Aside from Measure X, the City received a $3.5 million federal Defense Community Infrastructure Program grant – one of only 13 projects selected nationwide. According to the city, the grant funding helped offset the project’s $18 million overall cost.

Cox Construction Company of Vista built the new fire station.

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