On Friday June 3, Assembly Member Cottie Petrie-Norris presented a $2.5 million check to City officials to rebuild Costa Mesa Fire & Rescue’s Station 4 and training tower into a state-of-the-art Regional Training Facility.
Mayor John Stephens, Council Member Arlis Reynolds, City Manager Lori Ann Farrell Harrison and Chief Dan Stefano formally accepted the funds that will be used to rebuild, remodel, and upgrade the Station 4 training facility.
“Emergency preparedness is one of my top priorities,” said Assemblywoman Cottie Petrie-Norris. “I am thrilled to announce that, as part of the 2021-2022 State budget, I secured $2.5 million for a new Costa Mesa Regional Fire and Rescue Training Facility. Upgrading this facility will help our first responders better serve Costa Mesa, fight fires and keep our communities safe.”
The existing building is 55 years old. The new building and training grounds will also be used by neighboring cities and agencies, hence improving the region’s preparedness to address natural disasters while leading to a more resilient and collaborative fire service.
“This approved state funding will substantially upgrade our firefighter training center,” Mayor John Stephens said. “This couldn’t come at a better time. With wildfires increasing in numbers and intensity, our fire crews frequently provide mutual aid throughout California and other states. They deserve the absolute best training facilities. I’m grateful for the advocacy and hard work of Assembly Member Petrie-Norris. Such State support for Costa Mesa’s public safety infrastructure is unprecedented.”
Costa Mesa Fire & Rescue Chief Dan Stefano acknowledged the extraordinary efforts by Assembly Member Petrie-Norris to support public safety.
“This is a historic moment in time for us as we realize our dream of a new, state-of-the-art Costa Mesa Fire & Rescue Regional Training Facility to completely replace and enhance our existing 55-year old training tower,” Chief Stefano said. This new ‘all-hazard, all-risk’ asset will not only serve Costa Mesa, but will also serve as an important public safety resource for our entire region. We are incredibly grateful to Assemblywoman Petrie-Norris for her leadership and valued partnership, advocating for us in Sacramento and remaining diligently focused to bring state funding directly to local government and not wavering to place the highest priority on public safety.”
The new facility bridges the gap between fire dynamics knowledge and the utilization of training building and props for hands-on fire and rescue training.
The project will use locally sourced and environmentally friendly products and materials.
One of the facets that will be incorporated includes water reclamation elements that will also be added to enhance the recovery of water that is utilized as part of training exercises. The reclamation elements will be utilized to significantly reduce water waste and provide a sustainable training option during times of drought and water conservation.
The building and training grounds will also include upgrades to the existing lighting to include energy-efficient fixtures (LEDs) and will include natural light levels. Future upgrades will incorporate elements of solar-powered backup energy to be used in case of a power outage.
Additionally, low-flow faucets and other features will be installed to promote water efficiency and conservation and will include native and drought-resistant landscapes.
Climate change and the drought conditions continue to worsen, and extreme heat incidents become more frequent and severe. More than 40 percent of Orange County is designated as a Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone as assessed by CalFire. The City of Costa Mesa and Orange County would greatly benefit from these upgraded facilities to manage increased demand and mitigate wildfire risk during these events.