Escondido's newest and largest fire station is set to celebrate its grand opening next week, but the long-awaited facility already is serving the public.

"It's fully operational," Escondido fire Capt. Rodney Ferris said of the 28,000-square-foot building and training facility at 310 N. Quince St.

Firefighters moved into Fire Station No. 1 on Oct. 20 and recently started answering emergency calls, Ferris said.

The station is one of several police and fire facilities paid for by Proposition P, an $84.3 million bond measure approved by voters in 2004.

Firefighters had been working out of temporary, prefabricated buildings about a block away since the old Quince Street fire station was demolished in 2006.

"It's great," Ferris said while leading a tour of the building Friday afternoon. "I love it."

The new station has one fire engine, one firetruck, an ambulance and one battalion chief vehicle on the first floor. It has a classroom large enough for 50 students, a gym, a kitchen and a dining facility.

The sleeping quarters house 10 firefighters, but the facility is large enough to accommodate 19 people, Ferris said.

In late 2007, the City Council awarded the $12.1 million contract to build the station to the Jaynes Corp. of San Diego. The construction company was chosen over Gamut Construction Co. of San Bernardino, which submitted a lower bid of $11.9 million.

In a meeting where representatives for both companies faced off, council members said they chose Jaynes' higher bid because Gamut had made a technical error in its application. The flaw led some on the council to question whether Gamut was up to the task.

The bond measure also funded construction of two other neighborhood fire stations, Fire Station No. 6 at 1735 Del Dios Road and Fire Station No. 7 at 1220 N. Ash St.; the relocation of Fire Station No. 3 at 1808 Nutmeg St.; and the construction of a joint police and fire headquarters.

Fire Station No. 3 opened in August 2008 and Fire Stations No. 6 and 7 opened in November 2008. A grand opening for the new police and fire headquarters is set for later this winter, the city announced in a press release.

A grand opening celebration for Fire Station No. 1 is scheduled for 10 a.m. Nov. 14. The event will include a "push in" ceremony, a tradition where officials push a fire apparatus into the station.

Following the ceremony, the station will be open to the public until noon.

Call staff writer Edward Sifuentes at 760-740-3511.

 

CORRECTION: Ceremony's start time misstated

This article incorrectly stated the time of the grand opening. The event starts at 10 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 14. We apologize.