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RACHAEL WILSON
FOR THE MID-COUNTY MEMO
This June, it will have been more than a year since the fire station at Gateway (located at 13313 NE San Rafael Street) closed for renovations. The long-awaited remodel was just one of a series of building renovations in the Portland Fire District, which are the result of a Fire and Rescue bond voters passed in 1997.
Under the bond, and beginning in 1998, the Portland Fire District has remodeled all of its buildings, three buildings at a time. Renovations on Fire Station #43 began in 2006 with plans to reopen in March 2007. Fire Stations #24 (Swan Island) and #15 (Southwest Hills) are undergoing simultaneous remodeling with a total bid of $2,350,000 for all three stations. The duration of the remodel at Station #43 was slightly protracted due to unforeseen but necessary renovations to the roof and other areas. These renovations are part of an effort to bring the building up to current seismic code.
Other reasons for the remodel have been to bring the building up to code with the Americans with Disabilities Act, to insure privacy between male and female firefighters, and to increase the building’s energy efficiency.
The new fire station will have an enlarged doorway and an ADA accessible bathroom in the reception area. Portland Fire Bureau Representative, Brian Alcid, says that the reception area, also called the “Watch Room,” has been re-designed as a “larger, more public friendly” space where people may come to inquire about fire safety issues, to have their blood pressure measured, or just to see the station.
To create more privacy for male and female firefighters, the station’s preexisting bath and shower area was broken into several smaller bathrooms and showers. Also, the one large dorm room was separated into several private dorms for firefighters working around the clock.
Finally, in order to make the building more energy efficient, wall cavities were expanded to accommodate sufficient insulation. Also, lighting, cooling and mechanical systems were updated or replaced. In some buildings throughout the district, skylights and solar panels were installed, so that artificial lighting is not always necessary during the day.
Concurrent with the reopening of the Gateway Fire Station is a renumbering of the entire Portland Fire District. When the fire station reopens this June it will not only have a new look, but also a new name. The Gateway Fire Station, formerly known as Fire Station #43, will now be Fire Station #30.
The need for the renumbering of the stations dates back to the time that fire stations in Portland’s east county were incorporated into the Portland Fire District as District 10. Since these stations had their own numbering system starting in the single digits, they were renumbered beginning in the forties (Station 1 becoming Station 41 and so on). Currently, there are thirty-two fire stations in the Portland Fire District, while the station numbers go as high as forty-five. By renumbering the stations, Portland Fire Officials intend to eliminate gaps in the numeration, mitigating any potential confusion as to the actual number of fire stations in the district.
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