Tomales Fire Station Renovation Complete

Posted on May 5, 2020


For Immediate Release –

San Rafael, CA –

Firefighters move in and are ready to serve community

 

Tomales Fire Station
The crew has been moving into the renovated Tomales Fire Station and plans to start its first shift there on Wednesday, May 6.

The Tomales Fire Station in West Marin has undergone a complete modernization and firefighters are moving back in after 17 months of working in temporary quarters.

The crew has been moving into the renovated Tomales Fire Station and plans to start its first shift there on Wednesday, May 6.
The 48-year-old building was replaced by a new, efficient facility that exemplifies today’s standards for an essential services building. The $6.7 million project, which began in November 2018, provides the local residents with a new level of service and protection. The project was overseen by the Marin County Department of Public Works’ Capital Projects Division.
During construction, Marin County Fire Department personnel operated out of a temporary facility at 26701 State Route 1, a half mile away from the renovated station.

Senior Fire Captain Tom Nunes said the crew is excited to start its first shift in the new building on Wednesday, May 6

“The place looks great, and we’re grateful to our DPW friends for their hard work on this project,” Nunes said. “This investment in the northwest corner of the County will provide a great base of operation to support emergency activities in the region, especially during times of disaster.”

The new building was constructed using pre-engineered steel structure erected upon a 8,653-square-foot footprint, providing enough space to house three fire engines, water rescue equipment, and during fire season, a five-person crew for wildland fire protection under contract with California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, known as CAL FIRE.

Exterior site features include bio-retention areas for stormwater management, a photovoltaic solar array for power, parking areas including an electric vehicle charging station, an emergency generator, and water storage tanks. The station’s design is intended to compliment the surrounding landscape with characteristics reminiscent of the region’s ranch-style architecture. The facility has been environmentally designed to achieve Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver status.

The old station, constructed in 1971, was only designed to house a single-engine company with living quarters for one firefighter. The station serves the largest area of any Marin County Fire station, including Tomales, Marshall, Dillon Beach, and Chileno Valley, as well as being the only one that supports a local volunteer fire company and responds to Tomales Bay emergencies. Additionally, the station provides mutual aid to the Sonoma County communities of Two Rock, Bodega Bay, Valley Ford, and the U.S. Coast Guard.

Marin County Fire stations were assessed in a 2010 Fire Facilities Vision Plan, and it became evident that the Tomales station did not meet modern fire facility requirements, including seismic codes, equipment capacity and service demands. The necessary improvements required a complete redesign of the building from the ground up. Following the 2010 study, the Marin County Board of Supervisors began setting aside reserve funds to pay for the upgrade effort.

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