Firefighters settle into rebuilt station in Buena Park

The men and women from Orange County Fire Authority’s Station 61 are settling into their new home.

Situated on La Palma Avenue in Buena Park, just steps from Knott’s Berry Farm, the 18,000-square-foot station houses roughly 40 firefighters who now respond to calls initiated by a state-of-the-art alerting system, prepare meals in a roomy kitchen with shiny new appliances, work out on the latest exercise equipment and enjoy a host of other upgraded amenities.

Grand opening festivities were held at the $13 million station on July 11, with more than 100 community members and local officials turning out.

“There’s been people constantly coming by to greet us … bring a plate of cookies, kind of like, ‘welcome to the neighborhood,’” said William Mattern, one of three battalion chiefs serving at Station 61. “It’s happened almost on a daily basis.”

The transition from old Station 61 to the new Station 61 has been eventful and far from seamless.

A fire in the early morning of Jan. 13, 2017 destroyed the 50-year-old station on Western Avenue and virtually everything in it, including personal items, such as clothing and mementos.

“I lost all my bedding, all my toiletries … lots of family pictures,” Mattern said.

An investigation found the fire was likely caused by an electrical source in one of the station’s trucks, according to published reports.

While plans had already been in place to build a new station even before the fire, the groundbreaking was many months away.

That meant Station 61 firefighters and support staff moved around.

“Everyone was just displaced,” Mattern said.

Personnel from Station 61, one of three in the city, were relocated around the county.

Help even came from some unexpected sources.

In the same way firefighters render aid to a displaced family after a blaze, Anaheim Fire & Rescue personnel from nearby Station 11 opened their doors to their brothers from Station 61.

“I don’t know if it’s ever even happened before in Orange County that I know of,” Mattern said. “Those guys were amazing.”

Months later, Station 61 crews worked out of Walter Knott Elementary School next door to the site of the new station.

“Thankfully, the school district let us house them right next door,” said Beth Swift, a Buena Park councilwoman and member of the OCFA board of directors.

City officials fast-tracked building the new station.

Station 61, among the authority’s busiest, responds to about 7,000 calls annually and houses an engine with hoses, a ladder truck, paramedic engine and an urban search and rescue vehicle with a raft for swift-water rescues.

Anticipating increased service demands in the future, the new station is 5,000 square feet larger than its predecessor.

“If you go down the Beach Boulevard corridor, Buena Park is growing,” Mattern said.

During the station’s opening-day festivities, Swift, who is a member of the Acacia Quilt Guild of Orange County, announced the donation of more than 30 quilts — one for each firefighter — to replace quilts destroyed in the fire.

“A lot of the guys had quilts made by their families,” Mattern said. “So Beth Swift heard about it, and they made a quilt for everyone in the station. It was very touching.”

Firefighters assigned to Station 61 work 48-hour shifts.

“It becomes more than a fire station,” Mattern said. “It becomes our home.”

Lou Ponsi is a contributor to Times Community News.