The City of Carlsbad will have a fully staffed and equipped temporary fire station on the coast as soon as January 2023 thanks to an agreement approved by the City Council Tuesday.  The project is part of a City Council goal to improve emergency response times and ensure fire and emergency medical services are ready to meet the community’s needs as the city’s demographics and population change.

The $194,052 6-year lease with NRG Inc. will allow the city to build a temporary fire station on part of the old Encina power plant site. The agreement could be extended for up to two additional years.

The city will reuse some of the temporary buildings now being used while Fire Station 2 in La Costa is rebuilt. Construction on Fire Station 2 is set to wrap up in the next few months, and the temporary buildings will move from the Dove Library parking lot to the NRG site.

Project details
The temporary Fire Station 7 will go on a part of the NRG property where a warehouse and administration building were previously located. Two other nearby properties were initially considered but were ruled out for a variety of reasons, including environmental concerns and the additional time it would take to get them ready.

The temporary station will feature:

• Two temporary mobile buildings, one 1,782 square feet and the other 1,404 square feet, that will be used as offices and sleeping quarters for up to seven fire department personnel. (The city already owns the larger mobile building; the other one will be added.)
• A temporary structure of 3,200 square feet that will house an ambulance, lifeguard rescue watercraft and other Fire Department apparatus and equipment. This structure being used for temporary Fire Station 2 will be relocated and expanded for temporary Station 7.
• Access will be through an existing driveways on Carlsbad Boulevard. The temporary station will be about 260 feet east of the road, inside the fenced NRG property.

Why it’s important
In May 2021, the Fire Department completed a “Standards of Cover” evaluation, looking at current and future emergency response needs based on Carlsbad’s size, demographics and other factors. The evaluation found that to meet industry standards, the Fire Department needed a seventh fire station, ideally west of I-5 and the railroad tracks, as well as more ambulances and personnel.

The city set a goal is to have a temporary station in place by January 2023. 

This would also be the city’s first fire station west of Interstate 5 and the railroad tracks, two major transportation corridors that could be impacted in the event of a wide-scale emergency or natural disaster.

The temporary station would remain in place until a permanent station could be built. A permanent station could be built between 2026 and 2028, depending on several factors, including identifying a site and possibly getting voter approval to spend money to build it. Carlsbad has a law that certain projects over $1 million must get voter approval in advance.

Meanwhile, the Fire Department has already taken several steps since the fiscal year began on July 1, 2021, to meet the goal outlined by the City Council:

• Purchased two new ambulances that were put into service on Jan. 6, 2022, bringing the total number of city ambulances to five.
• Hired nine new paramedic firefighters, three new full-time emergency medical technicians, and some additional part-time EMTs, who came on board in October 2021.
• Converted an office in Fire Station 6 to a bedroom to accommodate the increase in personnel. This project was completed in September 2021.
• Reconstruction of Fire Station 2 in La Costa is underway and expected to be complete in fall 2022, with a larger, more efficient station that can better accommodate crews and equipment.

Next steps
Construction of the temporary station, including moving the mobile building and Sprung structure from the Dove Library parking lot to the property, would take place between October 2022 and January 2023.

More information
Fire Department Improvements webpage