Firefighters in La Jolla get the same city treatment as other fire personnel in San Diego ” the shaft.
Firefighters at Station No. 13 on Nautilus Street have lived in a temporary facility for the past 14 years, with shower curtains to separate sleeping quarters, cardboard partitions between the mattresses and screen windows hanging by a duct-tape thread.
As the city fails to provide adequate funding, the La Jolla Sunrise Rotary Club has stepped in to help. The Rotary Club has committed to raising $350,000 in cash and $100,000 in in-kind donations to renovate and expand the small living quarters that house three shifts of four firefighters at a time.
City leaders, Rotarians and supporters gathered at the station to celebrate the community effort on Wednesday, June 28. Wine corks popped and recently appointed Fire Chief Tracy Jarman, Mayor Jerrry Sanders and District 1 City Councilman Scott Peters voiced their appreciation for the help.
“When you see outpourings like this from a neighborhood and a Rotary, this is really special, and it makes each of these public servants feel so much better about what they do,” Sanders said.
The fire station will expand by just 400 feet, but the communications room, day room, kitchen and dining room will now be separated instead of crammed into one small space. The day room is especially important as it provides a retreat for the personnel, said architect Trip Bennett, who has volunteered his services for the project.
The bedrooms will also be divided into four quarters, providing more privacy than the shower curtains that separate the beds right now. Finally, the fixtures, appliances, kitchen, heating, electricity, doors and windows will be completely renovated.
“I think that we’ll have fresher firefighter personnel, and that’s what it’s all about,” Bennett said.
The Sunrise Rotary estimates that it is nearly halfway to its fund-raising goal and hopes to begin renovations this fall. The speedy execution is also a benefit of having the community step in instead of the city.
“That’s why Trip was a godsend, because there won’t be any government dollars or city participation, so I think the project will go much quicker because you don’t have multiple departments involved,” said James Palmer, the station’s fire captain.
The ball began rolling when Palmer asked former Fire Chief William Lansdowne if he could find $5,000 to replace the window screens. The fire chief later suggested that Peters stop by the station for coffee. Peters quickly decided that the station was deplorable and he needed to do more than just fix the screens. The councilman called on Bennett, his personal architect, for an estimate, and Bennett turned to his Rotary Club for support.
Sunrise Rotary has dedicated the project to Jack Morse, a deceased member of the club who, along with his wife, was rescued from a house fire by firefighters from Station No. 13.
“We’ve never forgotten the courage of this place,” Rotary Club President-elect Brendan Ruff said.
And so the concern spread. After reading an article about the state of the fire station, longtime La Jolla resident Catharine Miller was aghast and made the first call of support to Bennett. Miller cut a $1,000 check to the project.
“Honest to God, I could not believe that in this day and age, these people have to live like they’re living and do what they’re doing,” Miller said. “It’s a sad commentary on our ” whether it’s our government or whatever it is that causes it.”
Fire Station No. 13 is low on the city’s priority list. The municipal bond for safety needs doesn’t include any money for fire stations in District 1, so it would have been years before the city could renovate the facility, Peters said.
“Our city has not been good with keeping up with infrastructure needs for the past three decades or so,” Peters said. “There are fire stations around the city that are much worse off than this. In my district, this is the one that needs the most help, and the city can’t catch up with their infrastructure needs overnight.”
Station No. 13 is by no means the only neglected rescue facility in the area. The firefighters in Del Mar have been living in a trailer for the past 14 to 15 years, Palmer said. Twenty years ago, Palmer identified some lots in Mission Valley for a fire station, and it is only being built now.
“(The mentality) is that it’s taken care of ” out of sight, out of mind,” Palmer said.
Needless to say, Peters is proud the community has stepped up. GDC Construction Inc. on Silverado Street will contribute $60,000 in contractor’s fees. Dr. and Mrs. Oliver Jones put a dent in fund-raising efforts with their $50,000 donation. Bennett & Associates on Fay Avenue will give $25,000 in architectural services. Pacific Scene Homes will donate $15,000 toward wood framing and labor. Ryan and Ashley Stone gave $15,000.
Even as the station gets its first boost after years of neglect, Palmer is already looking forward to phase two. Palmer is hoping to eventually move the exercise equipment into a climate-controlled weight room instead of having to drag it in and out of the garage.
Everyone in La Jolla has a stake in the project; the Sunrise Rotary is simply the vehicle for the community to give, according to Ruff. Anyone who calls 911 for help in La Jolla is calling on Fire Station No. 13.
For more information call (858) 456-1220 or visit www.fs13androtary.com.