Firefighters by Fireplaces : Remodel: New Agua Dulce firehouse began life as family home.

Firefighters assigned to Los Angeles County Fire Station 81 in remote Agua Dulce find they can do most of their work from home.

The home, in this case, is the station itself--a converted three-bedroom, ranch-style house on Sierra Highway that serves a 60-square-mile area with a population of about 4,500. It houses two firefighters, a Fire Department engineer and a captain, each of whom spends an average of two 24-hour shifts per week in the cozy quarters.

The 2,200-square-foot house was bought by the county in 1986 to replace the community’s aging fire station in nearby Mint Canyon, Fire Department officials said. It is one of only three such stations operated by the county--the others are on Catalina Island and in the city of Walnut, said Randy Gomez, construction coordinator for the Fire Department. Two other county fire stations operate out of mobile homes, he said.

The house cost the county $250,000--about a third of what it might have cost to build a new station, officials said. The Fire Department spent an additional $50,000 to remodel the house.

It’s a nice change from the standard red-brick station, providing relaxation amid otherwise stressful working conditions, firefighters say.

“On a comfort scale of one to 10, this is a 10,” said fire engineer Allyn Holton, who regularly works at a much busier county fire station in Newhall but occasionally fills in at Station 81 when its engineer has to be away.

“It’s more like a motel, instead of an army barracks.”

Fire Department planners built an office for the captain and installed a larger entrance, a microphone and loudspeakers for radio dispatches and a paper towel dispenser in the bathroom. But in most respects, the single-story house looks pretty much the way it did in its domestic state, said Capt. Ted Lindaman, one of three captains assigned to the station.

Firefighters enjoy the luxury of two fireplaces, a bathtub and a large kitchen with wood-grain cabinets and a built-in microwave oven. They pitched in for a large-screen television in the living room, and each bedroom has weightlifting equipment for fitness training. An outdoor satellite dish that came with the house improves TV reception in the mountainous area, Lindaman said.

There isn’t much interior decorating to speak of--the walls are generally bare except for a large map showing county fire station locations--and family mementos have been replaced by a firefighter’s first-place award for a local chili cook-off and a wood plaque that says “The Fighting 81st.”

The captain and engineer have their own bedrooms, and the two firefighters share the third bedroom.

A total of 12 Fire Department employees are assigned to the station, though only four occupy the house at any one time due to shift changes, Lindaman said.

The house caught the eye of Fire Department planners because its garage had been built to fit the previous owner’s motor home and was large enough for a fire engine, Lindaman said. Also, a large, corrugated-metal storage shed has room for four reserve engines that can be put into service throughout the area if regular engines are being repaired, he said.

Most of the station’s calls are for auto accidents on Sierra Highway--an alternate route to the often congested Antelope Valley Freeway--and occasional brush fires. In between, firefighters inspect water tanks for leaks and make sure that brush has been cleared near homes and businesses, Lindaman said.

The station handled about 400 calls this year, compared with about 3,000 at Station 73 in Newhall, officials said.

The homey atmosphere is nice for some, but others prefer a faster pace, Lindaman said.

“This is a nice station to be at,” he said. “But if you’re looking for a lot of action, you want to get out of here. This is not what you would call a fast firehouse.”

And despite the remodeling, some of the fixtures just aren’t designed for the kind of wear and tear that fire stations have to endure, Lindaman said. At most stations, doors are designed to swing so firefighters can quickly exit to respond to emergencies, but the solid wood doors at Station 81 sometimes lock when closed, creating hassles when firefighters rush out of the house toward the fire engine, Lindaman said.

“It has its advantages and disadvantages,” he said. “This tends to alleviate some of the stress because of the atmosphere. But it’s not really set up to be a firehouse. The fixtures are meant for a regular family. They’re not meant for 12 guys, day in and day out, going in and out.”

“You have firefighters who are dirty and grimy coming back from fires--and the carpet has a tendency to get dirty.”

Visitors to the station are surprised to find out it’s a house, Lindaman said.

“People that stop in say ‘Boy, this is pretty nice--just like being at home,’ ” he said. “Well, it is, in a way. People have never seen a fire station like it.”