PITTSBURG – City officials cheered the news Tuesday that Fire Station 87 in Pittsburg will re-open in January after being shuttered for more than three years.
The station is one of three located within the City, and is located on West Leland Road near the Delta View Golf Course and John Henry Johnson Park.
Mayor Ben Johnson, speaking for the entire City Council, welcomed Tuesday’s announcement from County Supervisor Federal Glover and the Chief of the Contra Costa County Fire Protection District.
“With Station 87 back in service, help will arrive that much sooner for residents and businesses in the western half of the City,” he said. “We’re pleased the County and the Fire District are able to restore this critical service to Pittsburg.”
Station 87 opened in 2000, serving the western end of the City until the fire district’s finances forced its closure on July 8, 2013. At the time, it was the fourth station closed by the district, which had failed to secure voter approval of a parcel tax in 2012 to address its budget woes.
Fire stations on Willow Pass Road in Bay Point and on Railroad Avenue in Pittsburg took over the calls that had been assigned to Station 87. The additional distance added an average 1 minute 20 seconds to response times, according to fire district estimates at the time of the station closure. Response times are expected to improve with the re-opening of Station 87.
In the years since the station closed, the fire district has made several changes, including partnering with a private contractor for ambulance service and seeking new revenue to support its operations. The economic recovery has also helped.
For its part, Pittsburg’s City Council recently approved a new Fire Services Community Facilities District, which will collect a fee from new homes built in the City to support fire services. It is a model the County is looking at duplicating, but for now, Pittsburg is the only City in Contra Costa County to use this method to support fire services. For the past decade, Pittsburg has used a similar special district to support police services in newly developed areas of the City.
“We need to find new ways to support the core services the public expects will be provided,” Johnson said. “It’s too important to leave to chance.”
Station 87 is expected to be staffed and open for service in January 2017.