Video: Contra Costa County Fire Breaks Ground on Station 94 in Brentwood

On Monday, Contra Costa County Fire Protection District broke ground on fire station 94 in downtown Brentwood.

Located at 739 First St, it replaces the original station that was demolished in 2022. The new station is a new 8,137 square foot, two-story fire station, including two apparatus bays, living areas, and associated site improvements, on a 13,427 square foot parcel. The apparatus bays will house a Type I engine and Type III engine, but no ladder trucks. Fire engines would only enter the site from Diablo Way, along the rear property line, and exit onto First Street. Pedestrian access would be from First Street.

The station served the Brentwood Fire Protection District in 1929. The station had been open until 2014 when it was placed out of service by the East Contra Costa County Fire Protection District due to budget constraints. By 2022, after annexation, Contra Costa County Fire Protection District demolished the station to prepare for construction of a new proposed fire station.

According to the release:

Fire Station 94 will be a two-story brick building with traditional American Main Street architecture that pays homage to the deep historical roots and legacies of the volunteer firefighters in Brentwood. This Station, in the heart of downtown Brentwood, will evoke a sense of time and tradition, like other landmark buildings in the downtown area.

Fire Station 94 will enhance public safety and emergency response times, while continuing the historic and important community service to downtown Brentwood.

Back in June, the fire station was approved, thus overturning a planning commission vote, by the Brentwood City Council in a 3-2 vote with Mayor Susannah Meyer and Councilmember Jovita Mendoza dissenting. The design review was before the city council after the planning commission denied the fire station in a 4-0 vote on May 6. In response, Councilmember Tony Oerlemans pulled the item for council review.

Fire Chief Lewis Broschard said they were replacing a fire station that had severed the city of Brentwood and the community for many generations. He added that shortly after annexation in 2022, they started the process.

“We are delighted to be at this point in the process to rebuild Brentwood’s downtown fire station and bring much needed improvement to fire rescue and emergency medical services not only to Brentwood but the surrounding communities,” explained Broschard. “For the community, it means reduced response times, it means wildland and structure firefighting capabilities right here out of the downtown Brentwood, it means the provision of paramedic-life support services here in downtown Brentwood to serve a very busy portion of our fire district.”

He added the station would also help serve the communities of the City of Oakley and Town of Discovery Bay.

He also shared the new facility will support the firefighters by having a better quality of health, life, training and community action – noting cancer is very real and a threat to firefighters in the course of their duties, adding the facility will have state of the art decontamination showers, turnout extractors, decontamination sauna along with other modern systems for the extraction of exhaust particles to keep members safe.

Contra Costa County Board of Supervisor Diane Burgis shared there was only one fire station in the City of Brentwood for 65,000 people and they will soon have three stations.

“I am very proud we are getting our second station and will begin working on our third station,” stated Burgis adding firefighters need to be better positioned when people are in need.

She continued threw a couple of hecklers.

“There are people who are afraid that they are going to lose something, there are people who are angry because they think something is going to change. But the things that are going to change that are here in East Contra Costa, when you look at us on the map, you see there is no mutual aid to the north of us, there is barely any mutual aid to the east of us. We need to have fire stations that protection people whether it is out on Vasco Road, on a fire, or within a senior community  who need health,” stated Burgis. “We are excited to have a facility that is going to provide, safe coverage for all of our communities. Today in Brentwood, there are three or four trucks arriving from other cities, we need to be able to take care of things.”

She also discussed what has been added to the fire district since annexation they have advanced life support EMS services, brought paramedics while adding wildland firefighters to Byron.

“East County is growing with more families and more businesses,” stated Burgis noting the fire district served over 2,400 calls within 1.5-mile of Station 94. “It is a rebuild and I am so proud of those that have worked on this.”

She also said she knows some people are disappointed and angry but said she will be there for veterans, and they will have the veterans hall building –if they want to do improvements, she has asked people to help them.

Brentwood acting city manager Darin Gale thanked the firefighters on behalf of the City of Brentwood.

“Our community has lacked in the services we have been able to provide to our residents as it relates to public safety,” stated Gale. “This station plays a role in that, it’s more than brick and mortar… this is the place where they live, its where they protect us and will be assigned to take care of some of our most needy residents at their worst time. We cant wait for the actual ribbon cutting when the services can be provided and the services will be more distributed evening across the community.

Vince Wells, President of the United Professional Firefighters, Local 1230, said that Station 94 has a long and complicated station of opening and closing – closed in 2014 due to budget cuts and tore down in 2020 due to years of deterioration.

Although a painful time for the community and firefighters who served at the station, they never gave up hope that resources would come and the station could be rebuilt.

“This area has always had a unique fire service story, what is now the Contra Costa Fire Protection District, was once the East Contra Costa Fire Protection District formed in 2002 through volunteers, paid-on-call firefighters and handful of professionals,” explained Wells. “They were dedicated, but often were asked to do too much with too little. The biggest challenge was not a lack of courage or skill, but a lack of funding.”

Wells acknowledged the controversy with the proximity to the veterans hall, but the firefighters deeply honor and respect veterans – noting he is a veteran of the Air Force, his father served in Vietnam and retired from the Air Force while his daughter retired from the Air Force along with other family members have worn armed forces uniforms.

“That is why I believe this fire station standing side-by-side with the veteran’s hall will serve as a symbol of shared commitment. Firefighters and veterans are united by duty, by sacrifice and the call to serve something greater than themselves,” explained Wells. “This station does not diminish the history, it strengthens it. Together, these two institutions will represent service, protection and sacrifice for generations to come.”

Wells said when the station opens, firefighters will respond to calls at all hours, any condition and will do so with professional skill and pride in knowing the community fought hard for the station.

Editors Notes – from prior stories

From Contra Costa County Fire: There has been some misinformation spread about whether a fire station is still compatible with a denser downtown… Facts about incoming Station 94:

• Station 94 is in the perfect location to address the needs of the majority of Brentwood. Contra Costa Fire has mapped the density of calls for service in East County, and the largest, densest area of need is around Downtown Brentwood, exactly around the planned Station 94 site. The second-highest density of calls is in West Brentwood and is well served by Station 92.
• Station 94 will be built on property owned by Contra Costa Fire, while the Brentwood Veterans Memorial Building at 757 First Street will continue to operate fully on County-owned land that the veterans groups lease for $1 per year. This arrangement will not change; the veteran groups and other nonprofits who use the Brentwood Veterans Memorial Building will continue to have full use of the buildings and their wheelchair-accessible ramp.
• Fire responses from Station 94 will not interfere with outdoor special events, parades or farmers markets in Downtown Brentwood. Station 94 will have Type I and Type III fire engines, which are smaller and more maneuverable than ladder trucks. Contra Costa Fire drivers are specially trained, and fire and ambulance responses downtown currently have no navigational issues. Contra Costa Fire operates out of similar downtown areas throughout the County, such as in Concord and Walnut Creek.
• Locating Station 94 on First Street is the best use of taxpayer dollars and the fastest way to build a station in Brentwood’s highest area of need. Building a station on land that Contra Costa Fire already owns saves taxpayers millions of dollars and potentially years of delays to search out and purchase a new parcel and complete new environmental reviews.