A victim of the recession, Fire Station 4 in Walnut Creek reopens for 1st time in 9 years
WALNUT CREEK, Calif. (KGO) -- After nine years, Fire Station 4 in Walnut Creek officially reopened on Monday, as part of the Contra Costa County Fire Protection District.
Station 4 was originally forced to close because of the recession.
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"Things were tight back then, everyone was tightening their belt, trimming the fat and so this is a good thing we're opening back up again," Capt. Garrett Presley, of the Contra Costa County Protection Services said.
Monday morning, firefighters, including Capt. Presley moved back in, after working with the department for 13 years.
"It's a sad day whenever you have to shut down firehouses, but it's really a good time to be here once it's opening up, once again, I'm happy to be here," he said.
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The newly renovated station is meant to serve the southern parts of unincorporated Walnut Creek and its surrounding areas.
"From the inside, it's pretty much a brand new station," Steve Hill, a spokesman for Contra Costa Fire Protection District said.
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Hill says, now that the fire station is back online, it's expected to reduce response times in its service area, reducing the need for responses to fire, medical and other emergencies from other nearby stations.
"Up until today, we've had to respond in from neighboring stations, we've still maintained pretty good response times but it's not going to be as good as having this station open here on Hawthorne Drive," Hill said.
The station will be complete with a traditional type one fire engine and a type three engine, meant for wildland fires.
The county's goal was to get this up and running before fire season picks up this fall.
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