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SAN DIEGO (KOGO) - The County of San Diego recently made some upgrades at fire stations in two remote areas.
A new Fire Station 79 is now up and running at Palomar Mountain, a modern facility next to the previous station, which was a home built in the 1930's. The $4 Million project includes new sleeping quarters, a kitchen and dining room and a laundry room.
"We want to make sure that our firefights have the kind of working conditions they deserve and meet their operational needs and get them ready to quickly respond to an emergency or medical call," says San Diego County Fire Director Jeff Collins.
The original fire station will not be demolished, as the community has expressed an interest in using it as a public gathering space.
Listen to Anchor/Report Eddie McCoven's full interview San Diego County Fire Director Jeff Collins:
Upgrades were also made to Fire Station 59 in Warner Springs, including work on retrofitting and expanding bays for the station's numerous rigs, including the fire engines, a water tender and a rescue ambulance.
"When the county formed County Fire in 2008, a promise was made to improve fire protection in all of these communities," Collins says. "This is certainly a milestone in fulfilling that commitment that was made."
The county has invested nearly $700 Million in firefighting equipment and facilities since the Cedar Fire in 2003.
See the ribbon-cutting for the new Fire Station 79 and more from the County of San Diego: