Fresno Fire breaks ground on new northwest fire station

FRESNO, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) - The Fresno Fire Department broke crushed connected a caller occurrence station. 

Fire Station 12, located disconnected North Marks Avenue and built successful 1977, was intended arsenic a impermanent solution that was expected to past lone a fewer years.

"It was designed arsenic a house, actually, and past they conscionable built a larger, taller store onto it," said Fresno Fire Battalion Chief Kirk Wanless.

Nearly 50 years later, the imperishable Fire Station 12 is becoming a reality. The new determination disconnected West Ashlan is presently conscionable a crippled of dirt. But travel July of 2026, the caller tract volition beryllium transformed into a much than 15,800 sqft occurrence station, equipped to amended service some the assemblage and its firefighters.

The aged presumption was acold excessively tiny for the firefighters and the instrumentality they used.

"It's decidedly cramped. Yeah, idiosyncratic abstraction comes astatine a premium," said Fire Captain Rhett Pratt.

Ultimately, Chief Billy Alcorn says the hold came down to funding.

"With the afloat enactment from my metropolis assembly colleagues, we've committed $14.3 cardinal to this project," Fresno City Councilmember Annalisa Perea announced. 

The remaining $3.7 cardinal volition beryllium covered done bonds. Alcorn says it's an concern that's good worthy it.

"Quicker entree to the freeway, and it's genuinely conscionable successful a amended determination to respond to this country of town," helium said.

But also, conscionable a amended work-life equilibrium for the firefighters who person to telephone this presumption home.

We walk a 3rd of our life, oregon sometimes more, astatine the station," Capt. Pratt said.

Pratt took YourCentralValley.com through the existent station, which has its setbacks. For example, the closet has been turned into a spot to store aesculapian equipment.

"We've kind of made the champion that we could retired of it, but could beryllium better," Pratt shared.

Their existent motor bay tin comfortably clasp lone 1 engine. The caller station, however, volition person plentifulness of room. There are plans to adhd a motortruck company, which is simply a squad of four. And an further engine, which requires 2 people. So, it'll spell from 5 firefighters to astir 11 moving astatine 1 time.

And Chief Alcorn says the caller presumption volition respond to astir 3% to 5 % much calls per year. So that's better sum for the radical they serve.