Con Fire Reopens Fire Station 4 In Walnut Creek

WALNUT CREEK, CA — The Contra Costa County Fire Protection District announced the reopening Monday of Fire Station 4 in Walnut Creek after nine years of closure due Great Recession financial pressure.

Fire Station 4 at 700 Hawthorne Dr. serves the southern portions of unincorporated Walnut Creek and surrounding areas. Its operational status is expected to reduce response times in its service area, reducing the need for responses to fire, medical and other emergencies from other nearby stations, Con Fire officials said in a news release.

The station is staffed by a three-firefighter engine crew that will respond on either a structural firefighting engine or a Type 3 wildland firefighting engine. Its reopening was timed to ensure availability of this added firefighting resource ahead of our area’s historic height of wildfire danger in September and October, Con Fire said.

“Today marks the return of a much-needed Con Fire engine and crew to Fire Station 4 after a nine-year, Great Recession-caused closure,” said Lewis Broschard, fire chief, Contra Costa County Fire Protection District. “An operational Fire Station 4 will mean shortened response times for fire, medical, and other emergencies in its service areas and surrounding communities.”

Broschard added, “ I’m grateful for the support of our staff and elected officials, and the patience of residents leading up to this reopening.”

Extensive renovations were made in recent months to modernize the 66-year-old station, including a new kitchen and bathrooms as well as remodeled office space and living quarters.

The reopened Fire Station 4 brings the district’s complement of operational fire stations to 31, spanning the county from Fire Station 70 in San Pablo to Fire Station 95 in Oakley. Plans are underway to construct and open additional fire stations in East and Central County in the coming years, Con Fire said.

Fire Station 4 was originally constructed in 1956. At the time of its construction, it served the area as part of the Central Fire Protection District, which covered the incorporated City of Walnut Creek and approximately 32 square miles of surrounding land, including the unincorporated Pleasant Hill area.