LOMPOC, Calif. -- Cal Poly San Luis Obispo students
have presented their final architectural plans for a new fire station in Lompoc.
Fire Station Number Two will move
from North D Street to a bigger station on G Street and Ocean
Avenue.
Firefighters have certainly
outgrown Fire Station Two. Its two engine apparatus can barely fit in the garage
but the firefighters say these new architectural plans make them one step closer
to moving into a bigger and better station.
"As you round the corner, the
back of the apparatus is right here against the wall," says Lompoc Fire
Department Battalion Chief Stanley Hart.
The fire engine is less than a
foot away from the garage wall and for Lompoc firefighters, its a tight squeeze.
"We have less than two feet on
this side, and in the front, less than a foot so it takes a nice effort," says
Firefighter Mike Billgren. "We work as a team to get out."
That's why five Cal Poly students
submitted their designs for a new station.
"They encompassed things like
environmentally friendly heating processes," says Hart. "They took into
consideration the wind direction prevalent here in Lompoc and they designed the
building to make it not only functional but also aesthetic."
The student designs are saving
the city money from hiring a professional architect but most importantly
quickening the fire department's response times.
"When it comes time for life
safety," says Hart. "Every second counts."
Fire Station Two gets 3,800 call
a year on average and its goal is to be able to get to a scene in five minutes
or less.
The architectural plans are
submitted but the fire department now has to find the fund to build the project
before they can move in.
