News: After Delays, California Firehouse Rises

ANNE KRUEGER
The San Diego Union-Tribune

HARBISON CANYON -- Harbison Canyon fire Capt. Mike Simpson has kept a firetruck at his house for more than four years, ever since the station in the East County community was destroyed in the 2003 wildfires.

With a recent groundbreaking for a $1.1 million station, that truck is expected to have a new home by fall.

The road to a new fire station has been beset by numerous obstacles, including difficulties reaching an insurance settlement and finding an appropriate site for the building.

"You name it and we had to jump through it or it backfired on us," said Dave Nissen, chief of the San Diego Rural Fire Protection District.

Simpson, captain of the seven volunteer firefighters who serve Harbison Canyon, said he expects volunteers will want to spend time at the station so more people will be available when an emergency call comes in.

"Most people don't want to come down and hang at my house," he said.

Simpson said he and his girlfriend, also a firefighter, have often been the only volunteers to respond to emergency calls because there was no station. Nissen said the Sycuan Indian tribe's fire department also has responded to emergencies in Harbison Canyon.

The previous fire station -- a two-story, wood-frame building at least 60 years old -- was among more than 300 structures that burned in the tiny community in 2003. Nissen said the fire district took more than a year to settle the claim with its insurance company.

The former station site, at Harbison Canyon Road and Frances Drive, wasn't suitable for rebuilding because it didn't have adequate room for firetrucks to turn onto the road, Nissen said.

The district initially bought a 1.3-acre site from the county for $150,000, but Nissen said an environmental report showed that it couldn't handle a septic system, meaning no toilet facilities could be installed.

The county agreed to take back the land and return the district's money, and the search for property continued. Another prospective site was rejected because it's in a flood zone, Nissen said.

Finally, a 1-acre site was located on Harbison Canyon Road near St. George Drive. The district paid $400,000 for the land, which had been the site of a home destroyed in the fire.

In addition to the $900,000 insurance settlement, the district also received $100,000 from the Sycuan tribe and $50,000 from county Supervisor Dianne Jacob's office to pay for the new station.

The 2,400-square-foot building will be made of prefabricated steel, with an office and a common room. Nissen said it will have a slate facade and improvements along the roofline to make it more attractive.

Mary Manning, a Harbison Canyon resident for 32 years, said she has been trying to get a fire station since the old one burned down.

"In actuality, we're going to end up with a building that is considerably nicer than what we lost," Manning said.

Robert Fligg, a real estate agent and member of the local planning group, isn't so sure. He said he thinks the fire department can build a better station with the insurance money.

"I just feel that they're putting up a metal building and they're not spending the money that we got," Fligg said.

Nissen said he expects the fire station will be open by October. In addition to protecting Harbison Canyon, the station will be a landmark and a meeting area for the community, he said.

"Fire stations are pillars of the community," Nissen said. "It breeds confidence in the community when you have a fire station."

Source: Firehouse.com (link)