Fire Crew Adjusts to Temporary Home

After two years in exile in North Hollywood, the dozen firefighters and paramedics of Studio City’s Fire Station No. 78 have a home base again--at least temporarily.

That home--two trailers and an “apparatus floor,” or garage, for the sole fire engine--was financed by about $408,000 in Federal Emergency Management Agency money, allocated by the Los Angeles City Council last year. The original station was razed in August 1994 after suffering severe earthquake damage.

The tidy, gray temporary station, like its predecessor, is located on Coldwater Canyon Boulevard north of Ventura Boulevard.

Station Capt. Scott MacLeod said the firefighters expect to use the trailers--complete with a modern kitchen, two dormitory rooms, showers, a training room and an office--for about five years as a larger, permanent station is built.

“It’s just like moving into a new house,” he said Thursday. “We still have to adjust.”

For the time being, MacLeod said he and the rest of the crew are just happy to have their own space again. They shared quarters with North Hollywood’s Fire Station No. 86 in the interim. “Obviously, we’re going to have a lot faster response time now because we’re closer here,” he said.

According to Cynthia Corona, assistant chief deputy for City Councilman Mike Feuer, costs for the firehouse were kept down by purchasing used trailers and renovating them. The site also required a new foundation and water lines.

“It was significantly cheaper than new trailers,” she said. “It’s a pretty neat facility for the price.”

The station will be officially rededicated May 13 by Feuer, who represents the area, and Fire Chief William Bamattre.

Corona said Feuer expects to announce the station’s permanent digs within the next six months.

“It’s just like any other fire station, but it’s tin,” MacLeod joked. “It’s full service, just like before.”