Have you ever waited for a fire truck or other first responder? Every second counts when a life or property is at risk, and rebuilding the Downtown Brentwood fire station is crucial for residents’ safety.
Currently, Brentwood is limited in its emergency response with only Station 92 on the western edge of the city. That is not enough for a city of 65,000 residents. By contrast, Oakley has two stations serving more than 45,000 residents and Antioch has four stations serving 117,000 residents.
To meet the fully staffed and equipped levels for a community our size, Brentwood requires three stations. Taxpayers have provided the funding, and fire district leadership is ready to rebuild a new station downtown and another station in North Brentwood. Now the Brentwood City Council just needs to give the green light.
Many Brentwood residents are being hit by massive fire insurance rate hikes, and the East Bay Times reports that Brentwood’s 94513 ZIP code has the most policy non-renewals in the Bay Area. Without building more fire stations, the problem will only get worse.
Both public safety and equity demand the station be placed downtown. There were 2,400 calls for service in 2024 within 1.5 miles of Station 94’s planned location. This neighborhood is home to some of Brentwood’s most economically disadvantaged, and they deserve the same response times as other neighborhoods.
As the county supervisor representing more than 240,000 residents, I also look at how our fire protection system protects the entirety of East County.
In 2024 alone, there were 1,393 emergencies in Brentwood that required personnel and resources from Antioch, Oakley, Discovery Bay and beyond. That means nearly four times a day, other communities were missing their firefighters because Brentwood had only one station. It is unfair to ask those communities to continue sending their crews to Brentwood when the City Council can approve a station on June 10 and have construction begin within weeks.
Contact the City Council today with a clear message: No more delays.
With their approval, we can get it done quicker, cheaper and make our community safer.
Supervisor Diane Burgis
Learn the facts about Station 94: contracosta.ca.gov/District3 and www.cccfpd.org/new-stations/
Editors note – Related
- May 24 – CONFIRE: Incident Strains Resources, Downtown Brentwood Fire Station Tidbits
- May 23 – Burgis: I Trust Contra Costa Fire and So Can You: They know What They Are Doing and Care About Our Community
- May 15 – Burgis: Brentwood Planning Commission’s Reckless Decision Jeopardizes Community Fire Safety
- May 7 – Brentwood Planning Commission Denies Downtown Fire Station
- March 19 – Brentwood Planning Commission Punts Decision on Downtown Fire Station
- Feb 2025 – Burgis: 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)
