A groundbreaking ceremony is scheduled Wednesday on an $8.2 million fire station in the East County community of Pine Valley that will be nearly double the size of the current facility.
When finished, the 13,000-square-feet station on Old Highway 80 will be operated by Cal Fire. The county acquired the land adjacent to the existing 6,900-square-feet building, which will be demolished.
The current station is 43 years old and was built when the rural, hilly area about 40 miles east of San Diego was protected by a volunteer fire department, so it has just two sleeping rooms.
County officials said the new station — in an area where brush fires aren’t uncommon — will provide sleeping quarters for two captains, a battalion chief and a dozen firefighters.
— City News Service
