Los Alamos Fire Chief Troy Hughes speaks to attendees at the public meeting held Sept. 23 at Fire Station No. 4. The meeting was held to collect input on where the new Fire Station No. 4 building should be located. Courtesy/LAC
By KIRSTEN LASKEY
Los Alamos Daily Post
kirsten@ladailypost.com
It has become obvious that Los Alamos Fire Station No. 4 on Diamond Drive near the Los Alamos Golf Course needs to be replaced. The building, which was built in 1964, no longer serves modern-day firefighting needs. It is a bit too small for vehicles and equipment, doesn’t accommodate genders and isn’t designed to address decontamination needs.
While the need for a new facility isn’t being debated, where to put it is up for discussion. The County is hoping that the community will provide some input on this issue, Project Manager Sobia Sayeda said.
“We want to move forward with this project and provide a facility that is functional and serves the community in these modern days,” she said.
One of the first steps in doing this is to select a site for the new building. Sayeda identified three sites that are under consideration.
They are the current site at 4401 Diamond Drive, the golf course maintenance yard at 999 San Ildefonso Road and a vacant lot north of the Loma Linda playground at 101 N. Mesa Road.
These sites were initially proposed to the community during a meeting Sept. 23 at the fire station.
Sayeda said these sites were selected based on a set of criteria, which included maintaining response time for emergencies, the owners of the land, terrain, existing infrastructure, keeping the current station operational during construction and design and feasibility.
She said public input is encouraged to help select the best site, adding that any concerns regarding noise, traffic and impeding on open space should be given.
“We want to make a sound decision and not impede on anyone,” Sayeda said.
Fire Chief Troy Hughes said during the Sept. 23 meeting the site that was overwhelmingly supported was the existing one.
He added that fire department personnel like this option, too.
“Our people do get to interact with the public … while our guys are doing their daily activities, they get a chance to interact (with those who utilize the trails around the station, etc.) so even our people like the station where it is at.”
Still, Hughes emphasized that “we want to give the public fair chance to give feedback.”
While the three sites are the best choices, Sayeda said each comes with challenges. She pointed out that constructing a new station near the original one will require some grading because there is a drop, plus having a construction site next door to an operating fire station is going to need some planning.
As far as the site on the golf course, Sayeda said there are overhead utilities that will need to be moved, as well as issues with drainage. There are also trails to consider as well as wild animals. The land would also need to be rezoned.
The land on Loma Linda is appealing because it is flat but building a fire station would eliminate open space, she said.
Feedback will continue to be sought. A survey is available to take on the County’s webpage for the project. The survey will be conducted through Oct. 7. Other public meetings are scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Oct. 15 and Oct. 21 at the Los Alamos Fire Department administration office, 999 Central Ave. A recommended site will go to the County Council for approval Nov. 12. Ultimately, the goal is to have the new fire station constructed and occupied sometime in 2025.
Hughes and Sayeda encouraged everyone to provide input.
“The community knows what is in their best interest,” Sayeda said. “We need to evaluate everything and look at everything and compare.”
Regardless of where the fire station is located, a new one is necessary.
Hughes reported during the Sept. 23 meeting that the Department of Energy is asking for more firefighters – the number would go up to 188.
“This project for this station really kind of tails off from that,” he said. “One of those that we found looking at the new station (and) on the new stations on the lab side and things that we learned during COVID is that it’s important to protect these guys from different types of contaminates. When they go out on a fire, they’re getting a lot of carcinogens on them. They go out on a medical call, sometimes people are sick. Sometimes people have body fluids that happen to get on our guys … so when our guys come back, we need to have a place to clean them up.”
To do this, Hughes said the new station should be designed with three distinct sections:
- A hot zone, for fire engines and any contaminated gear and equipment;
- A warm zone to decontaminate, use laundry machines and showers; and
- The living areas.
“We kind of try to build that station to have those separations so that firefighters will be safe,” he said.
To achieve that, VEGA Architecture was hired to design the facility. Hughes mentioned that it is the same architect designing the replacement fire stations on laboratory property so there will be consistency.
The cost of this construction project is not known yet, but Hughes mentioned during the Sept. 23 meeting that it has been planned for. He explained every year the fire department gets funds from the state based on its insurance rating or ISO. The Los Alamos Fire Department is an ISO 1, so it gets more than $900,000 a year. It saved up $2 million and about two years ago received an additional $2 million from the governor’s office for capital projects.
Hughes added that getting a new facility wouldn’t be possible without the support of all parties involved.
“We appreciate the support we have gotten from the community, the County Council and the County Manager’s office … without that kind of support we would not be doing this and we would have a facility that doesn’t serve our people.”
In Fire Station No. 4, rooms are separated by curtains. The new facility will provide more privacy. Courtesy/LAC
The kitchen in Fire Station No. 4. Courtesy/LAC
A room in Fire Station No. 4. Courtesy/LAC
