From staff reports
San Gabriel Valley Tribune (California)
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LA VERNE, Calif. — Fire and paramedic service for the city’s northeast neighborhoods will be dramatically improved by a new fire station dedicated Saturday, city officials said.
The $2million station at 5100 Esperanza Drive was paid for by north La Verne developers who contributed to a fund when initiating construction, Councilman Dan Harden said. None of the money for the project was taken out of the city’s general fund.
The distance of existing stations from the city’s remote northeast neighborhoods resulted in an average paramedic response time in past years of 6.8 minutes, fire officials said.
With the completion of Fire Station 3, fire officials hope the average response time will fall below five minutes.
The city has fire stations downtown and on Base Line Road. The city’s paramedic crew on Base Line will relocate to the new station, Battalion Chief John Chappell said.
The location of Fire Station 3 in the city’s foothills will also allow fast response time to wildfires, Harden said. A five-person engine crew from the U.S. Forest Service will be stationed at the building seven days a week during daylight hours.