Construction is set to begin on Santa Monica’s latest addition to the City’s Fire Department, with a ground-breaking ceremony marking the occasion, Saturday, June 2.
According to the City, the project’s commencement has been 10 years in the making; the weekend event drawing many keen onlookers and participants.
Santa Monica City Mayor Ted Winterer spoke at the ground-breaking alongside Santa Monica Fire Department (SMFD) Chief Bill Walker, Deputy Chief Tom Clemo and Santa Monica City Architect Rebecca Abano.
“Construction will soon begin on the 28,000 square-foot facility that will provide essential life-saving services to the Downtown area and entire community,” a City spokesperson said. The new site for the station is located at 1337 7th St., Santa Monica. The current Fire Station 1 is located at 1444 7th St., Santa Monica and will remain in operation until the new location is complete.
“Fire Station #1 serves the downtown core and is Santa Monica’s most active station with 8,948 calls for service a day in Fiscal Year 2016/17,” City staff said. “The new station will be seismically sound and will accommodate the personnel and equipment needs of the department.”
New features include: a two-story facility spanning 28,000 square feet; the ability to remain operational after a major disaster, allowing fire personnel to continue providing vital services to the public; bathrooms and 20 dormitories to accommodate both male and female firefighters; a community room available to the public to reserve for use; rooftop solar panels that convert sunlight into electricity, which will cut down on energy costs; and LEED V4 certification to ensure the project is designed and constructed to the highest level of sustainability.
