The Brentwood Planning Commission has made a dangerous and irresponsible decision, and your home and safety are at risk. It is time for us all to stand up for public safety and tell the Brentwood City Council to approve the construction of the crucial Fire Station 94 downtown where it is most needed.
As a Brentwood resident, I am embarrassed and disappointed by our Planning Commission’s willingness to leave common sense at the door so that they could deny a permit for our much-needed downtown firehouse.
The Planning Commission’s scope was simple when they first discussed the station in their March 18 meeting. Their job was to provide approval or further feedback on the design of the new station, which replaces an old station and which our community has needed for a decade. City staff had worked with Contra Costa Fire ahead of time so that the architects would design something that fit the aesthetics of Downtown Brentwood, and staff recommended approving the project.
But the commissioners ignored the recommendations of city staff and the statements of Deputy Fire Chief Aaron McAlister, professional firefighters and longtime citizen fire commissioners. Instead, they chose to get their “facts” from a handful of commentors with zero firefighting, planning or engineering experience. One ludicrous claim from public commentors was that our highly trained firefighters would not be able to drive their trucks through Downtown Brentwood, even though they already navigate the same streets daily responding to calls.
In a second meeting on May 6, commissioners continued to ignore the facts and chose the most baffling arguments to deny a construction permit. The most ridiculous moment came when a commissioner claimed that the firehouse might need to be considered as a hotel or a gym. Everyone knows that firefighters sleep at a fire station and have exercise rooms on the premises because they are on call and need to remain physically fit and ready to save your life at a moment’s notice.
The Planning Commission has wasted valuable staff time at the city and fire district, and the delays will cost us taxpayers more to build the much-needed station as each week goes by. More important, though, are the lives that might be lost because a fire truck can’t reach a burning house, a heart attack patient or a car crash victim in time.
But we don’t elect our planning commissioners; we elect the mayor and four city councilmembers to do the right thing and keep our community safe.
Thankfully, Councilmember Tony Oerlemans has filed an appeal to put a stop to this madness, and the City Council is scheduled to decide the matter once and for all on June 10. I urge all East County residents, and particularly Brentwood residents, to write or call Mayor Susannah Meyer and our city councilmembers. Tell them to stop these delays and vote to build our downtown fire station.
Related Stories to Fire Safety and Downtown Station
- May 7 – Brentwood Planning Commission Denies Downtown Fire Station
- March 19 – Brentwood Planning Commission Punts Decision on Downtown Fire Station
- Feb 2025 – Op-Ed: Downtown Brentwood Fire Station Will Return Life-Saving Services, Upgrades Veterans Hall
- Feb 2025 – Supervisors Get Update on East County Service Center, Youth Centers
- Oct 2024 – Letter: Veterans Issue Statement on Brentwood Veterans Memorial Building
- Jan 2024 – Brentwood Gets Update on Two Future Contra Costa Fire Stations
- Oct 2023 – Burgis: New Fire Stations Will Make Brentwood Safer (fire safety)
