Fire Station's Improvements Mark New Era for Department Firefighters

Move-in day at the newly renovated fire station 52 marks the beginning of a new era, San Rafael fire Chief Chris Gray said.

“This was a concerted decade-plus effort that really involved patience, sacrifice and a lot of hard work,” Gray said. “It’s safer, modern and it will serve the department and community for many years to come.”

Station 52 at 210 Third St., across from the Montecito Plaza Shopping Center, is the first of three renovations to be completed as part of the city’s $73 million essential facilities project. It’s financed with revenue from the Measure E sales tax hike passed by voters in 2013.

Designed by Mary McGrath Architects of Oakland, the project also includes a remodeled station 57 at the Marin County Civic Center, due to be finished this summer, and a $36 million downtown public safety complex on Fifth Avenue, which will be under construction for another year.

Construction at station 57 was delayed about five months after the discovery of unsuitable soils, which raised the project cost to $13.4 million from $12 million. Despite the setback, the overall project is still within the $73 million budget, said Bill Guerin, director of public works.

The original station 52 had been in service since 1957. It was torn down in February 2017, and Alten Construction Inc. of Richmond began working on the renovation project a month later. Firefighters moved two blocks to temporary space at 519 Fourth St. during construction.

Sitting on a 0.66-acre site, the new station includes three buildings: a 10,973-square-foot, two-story fire station; a 1,297-square-foot training classroom; and a 1,342-square-foot, five-story training tower, which includes props for drills and training.

The main station has a lobby, kitchen, day room, laundry room, sleeping quarters and an electrical and communications room. It’s designed to house five on-duty firefighters and has a sixth bunk for an intern or an extra staffer if needed. There are three bays for trucks and fire engines.

Standing 46 feet, the training tower will serve not only the San Rafael Fire Department but other Marin fire departments as well. The new training classroom has space for 24 and will be used for certifications, meetings, CPR classes and other functions.

The new station meets the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Gold certification, meaning it’s an efficient building, using less water and energy and reduced emissions.

Alongside a moving crew Thursday, fire Capt. Garrett Northern was busy setting up kitchenware, bedding and equipment. Firefighters were also installing and testing the radio equipment and alerting systems.

“We’re staffing this station as of now, so we’ve got to be ready,” he said. “It’s exciting to be part of this, to see the new station and to see what the other stations will look like once they’re complete.”

Mayor Gary Phillips said he couldn’t be more pleased with the outcome of the project.

“We had a vision to make the fire stations more safe and efficient,” Phillips said, noting that the city turned to the voters for help in approving Measure E. “The community really stepped up, and now we’ve got the first of three done.”

Gray said, “We’re really proud of our new station. We’re grateful to the community.”

While construction is ongoing at the two other project sites, Gray said the department is dreaming up renovation plans for stations 54 at 46 Castro Ave. and 55 at 955 Point San Pedro Road.

Gray said the department expects to see some money left over from the city’s Measure E revenue that it hopes to put toward projects at the two other stations. Gray will make a proposal before the City Council in the coming months, he said.

The city is planning an opening ceremony for May 13. More information will be posted to cityofsanrafael.org.

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