FOUNTAIN VALLEY : Remodeled Digs for Firefighters

City firefighters have a new home away from home. Built in 1967, the city’s second fire station, on Newhope Street, was recently remodeled.

“It’s where firefighters live--they spend half their lives there, and now it’s like a new house for them,” said Battalion Chief Larry Hammer, who oversaw the remodeling.

But the upgrades offer more than mere aesthetic improvements: The station now has fire sprinklers to bring it up to city codes.

“Fire stations burn down every year,” Hammer said. “It’s just something we don’t want to have happen.”

Fire Chief Richard E. Jorgensen said the $400,000 renovation was needed because the building had become outdated and firefighters needed more work space.

Additions included a study with a skylight, a workout and weight room, a tool shop for apparatus maintenance and an indoor tower to dry fire hoses.

The dormitory also was upgraded with lockers and partitions--a move that Jorgensen said was intended not only to add privacy but to prepare for the day a female joins the department. The department now has 38 firefighters--all male.

The kitchen also got a new floor and cabinets. Hammer said the remodeling brought welcome change for firefighters.

“It’s the place to be right now. Everybody that’s over there loves it,” he said.