Just in time for summer, City of Carlsbad officials celebrated the opening of Carlsbad’s first fire station west of I-5 and the railroad tracks to respond to emergencies along the coast more quickly and ensure the city continues to meet the community’s public safety needs into the future.

The location on the site of the former Encina Power Station is temporary, but fully functional with room for a crew of seven, a fire ladder truck and ambulance. The temporary station also serves as the city’s lifeguard headquarters.

Calls for service along the coast have increased steadily over the years, and with all city fire station east of I-5 and the railroad tracks, concerns about response times prompted talk of a coastal station. 

The Fire Department repurposed the temporary structure used while Fire Station 2 in La Costa was rebuilt to stand up a seventh station as quickly and efficiently as possible. The city’s long-term plan is to find a site for a permanent Fire Station 7 to serve the city’s coastal area.

Quality of life and public safety are among the five goals in the City Council’s new 5-Year Strategic Plan, and the City Council has invested significant resources to increase the Fire Department’s capabilities in recent years.

The new station houses a fire ladder truck, ambulance, two lifeguard trucks, two rescue watercraft and a small all terrain vehicle. It includes two portable buildings for office space and sleeping quarters, restrooms and showers for up to seven Fire Department crew members.

The Fire Department started operating out of the new temporary station earlier this year while additional finishing touches were completed on the site. The City Council officially marked the station’s completion Thursday with an “uncoupling ceremony,” a fire service tradition similar to a ribbon cutting where two parts of a fire hose are disconnected.

The city will pay NRG $30,000 per year to lease the property, subject to 3% annual increase for a total of $194,052 over the six-year term. The lease is six years with an option to extend it another two years. The city saved money by relocating the temporary structure from the Dove Library parking lot, where it housed crews from Fire Station 2 during its rebuilding. The total cost to build the temporary station, including plumbing, electrical and other site preparation, was $1,874,324.

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Public safety is one of the key goals in the City Council 5-Year Strategic Plan. The new station, along with other recent investments, will enable the City of Carlsbad Fire Department to keep pace with the community’s growing needs and provide faster response times.