Fire Station 1 Groundbreaking in Eight Images

June 7, 2018 12:10 PM
by Constance Farrell

Saturday, June 2 was a bright sunny day as dozens of community members and families came to the Downtown to mark a rare occasion – a groundbreaking for a new fire station, Santa Monica’s busiest, Fire Station #1.

Here’s a look at some of our favorite moments from the event.

Santa Monica Fire Department breaks ground on their new home.

“This fire station is at the center of our highest call volume and will house two Advanced Life Support Fire Engines, our Ladder Truck, and the on duty Battalion Chief. The opportunity to have these critical resources housed in a state of the art building is tremendous for us,” said Fire Chief Bill Walker. “We are part of the city team that is 100% committed to the safety, health, and wellbeing of our community and all that visit this great city. Last year we responded to 17,000 individual calls for service that is over twice any city of our size.”

Future generations of boys and girls learned that the fire service is for everyone.

Santa Monice firefighters enjoy meeting residents and sharing more about their work, including pulling out a 1950s fire engine that once served Fire Station 1 and the downtown. If you know anyone who might be interested in joining the Santa Monica Fire Department, they are now hiring.

Families get goofy with a photo booth in front of one of the ladder trucks.

Before the program, kids crafted with Police Activities League student volunteers at the current Fire Station 1 down the street.

City Council joins for a morning of sunshine and fun.

From the podium, Mayor Ted Winterer shared: “Our highest calling and duty in government is to do everything we possibly can to protect the safety of our residents and anyone within our borders. Fire Station 1 is one part of a series of projects active right now to meet this goal.”

It might have been SMFD’s day, but the Santa Monica Police Department was there to support.

We’re lucky to have two great departments that work together in our toughest moments and in our greatest opportunities to meet and enjoy time with the community. Save the date for National Night Out on August 7!

We only got to this point through collaboration.

“City Manager Rick Cole often speaks about Interdepartmental collaboration. The station #1 project has been all about interdepartmental collaboration. We simply could not have navigated some of the challenges this project has presented thus far without teamwork,” said Deputy Fire Chief Tom Clemo.

And who can resist a photo of both chiefs!

Authored By

Constance Farrell
Communications & Public Information Manager