GILROY
– The city’s third and youngest fire station is expected to open
on time, provided the weather decides to cooperate.
Gilroy Fire Department’s station at 880 Sunrise Drive is three
months away from moving into its permanent building and just weeks
away from being equipped with a new, fully stocked emergency
response vehicle.
GILROY – The city’s third and youngest fire station is expected to open on time, provided the weather decides to cooperate.
Gilroy Fire Department’s station at 880 Sunrise Drive is three months away from moving into its permanent building and just weeks away from being equipped with a new, fully stocked emergency response vehicle.
“We think we’re doing fine, and we should be able to bring the project in on time,” said Chief Jeff Clet.
The Sunrise station’s two-person team – one GFD fire captain and one firefighter/paramedic – are currently housed in a temporary 60-by-14-foot trailer located near the permanent building.
Inclement weather has been the only cause for delay in construction, Clet said, slowing down some of the work on the outside of the building.
“We don’t have at this point any expected delays,” Clet said. “(The building is) completely framed and roofed, they’re painting the interior and doing interior finish work.”
Construction on the 8,558-square-foot building began in July and is expected to be finished in April, with a formal grand opening of the building in March.
The building, which is larger than GFD’s Chestnut and Las Animas stations, is expanded to incorporate a conference room that will be used for meetings and community events, and facilities required by the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Individual restrooms, rather than group restrooms, are required for privacy, and a separate room will now be used for decontaminating equipment.
The station also has more storage space and a more complete physical fitness room.
Sunrise receives between 30 and 40 calls each month, about half as many as the other two stations. Eventually, it will house four firefighters, although there is no schedule for adding staff, yet, Clet said.
For now, the GFD paramedics are looking forward to receiving a Supplemental Transport Ambulance Resource vehicle, or STAR car, that was expected to arrive as early as December.
“Unfortunately, there’s been some outside influences in terms of manufacturing and delays of parts and things like that, but we’re ready to go by mid-January,” said Phil King, Emergency Medical Services division chief for GFD.
The STAR car will be able to transport critical patients when an ambulance is too far away to arrive on scene quickly.
“It just provides a lot more capabilities than what the squad has now,” King said. “It’s a multi-function deal.”
The vehicle will provide the department with additional firefighting tools and comes equipped with “stadium lighting” on top to illuminate fire scenes at night and provide more safety, King said.
Sunrise station paramedics currently use a quick-response vehicle, similar to a pick-up truck, equipped with emergency response supplies.
