Station 39

You may all remember my love letter to Fire Station 39 in the San Rafael area of Pasadena a little while back.  I got an email yesterday from Steve Madison, this area's City Councilmember, that was really sad to hear.

I hope they do retrofit it so my favorite firemen will be safe, but please, City of Pasadena, keep the structure's design intact!  Two years??  I'll miss the firemen on my daily dog walks.

Yesterday Pasadena Fire Chief Dennis Downs announced that effective today Fire Station 39 on Avenue 64 in West Pasadena is being vacated because engineering studies have determined the building does not presently meet minimum seismic safety standards.  The Chief predicted that the Station will be closed for 24-30 months.  I am strongly committed to reopening Station 39, either at the same site or a different site, as soon as possible, to provide essential public safety services to the Southwest portion of Pasadena. 

 

We received a presentation about this decision at our City Council meeting Monday night, in connection with a discussion of the capital budget for the upcoming fiscal year.   Staff reported that the Fire Chief and City Manager made the determination to vacate the existing facility effective today.   I learned of this potential development several weeks ago and have been working with staff to determine first whether this was avoidable.   When it became clear after a second and even a third expert engineering opinion concurred, my focus has been on whether a temporary facility can be established, and to determine when and how the existing facility can be renovated or re-constructed on the same site or a new site.    I was grateful that Monday night my colleagues expressed support for this approach by acknowledging the inclusion in the capital budget of an initial allocation of almost $1 million to pursue the renovation/relocation of Station 39 and Station 32 in East Pasadena, which has also been declared unsafe seismically. 

 

There are a total of eight fire stations in Pasadena, three of which (31, 38 and 39) are in our City Council District (which as you know is one of seven districts).    Our neighborhood fire stations are extremely important to our community’s safety and, again, I am committed to reopening Station 39.    It is extremely unfortunate that the existing facility has to be vacated, but protecting the men and women of our Fire Department who work and live there while on duty, cannot be compromised.    In the meantime the neighborhoods served by Station 39 will be served by our Stations 31 (South Fair Oaks) and 38 (Linda Vista), as well as City of Los Angeles and South Pasadena stations with whom we have a “mutual aid“ compact.    The Chief has assured me that response times will continue to be well within compliance with all national and regional standards.  I will keep you posted regarding our efforts as we move forward.     We will post information regarding this matter on our District 6 website at cityofpasadena.net. 

 

Steve Madison

Pasadena City Councilmember, District 6