On Saturday, July 2 and 8:00 am, the East Contra Costa Fire Protection District re-opened Fire Station 94 in Knightsen. The District will now operate on a 4-station model through June 2017 where the station will then close again.
On July 2, 2016, Station 94 in Knightsen re-opens
Station 94 joins currently open Station 52 (Balfour, Brentwood), Station 59 (Bixler, Discovery Bay), Station 93 (O’Hara, Oakley) which will serve more than 100,000 residents each day.
Station 94 previously closed in May of 2015 along with Station 54 in downtown Brentwood after voters rejected a benefit assessment to keep fire stations open and prevent layoffs.
Shortly after the Station opened, firefighters were called to a medical call on Sandmound Blvd. at 8:40 am.
The re-opening was made possible after a Task Force recommendation was approved that combined resources of $2.2 million of the cities of Brentwood and Oakley along with the County to fund the station for a period of 1-year. This allowed the District to also hire firefighters.
Funding Breakdown includes:
- ECCFPD – $873,978
- City of Brentwood – $666,000
- City of Oakley – $382,202
- Contra Costa County – $311,617
Under the Task Force Recommendation, the fire District approved the following recommendations by the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors:
- ECCFPD would pursue independence special district through LAFCO
- ECCFPD would move to an elected fire board
- ECCFPD would seek a name change
- ECCFPD would create an citizens oversight committee to oversee new funds
- ECCFPD would accept the Chiefs recommendation to open 4th station in Knightsen
Both the Task Force and Chief Hugh Henderson has called the re-opening of the Kngthsen station temporary and only a band-aid fix for a District that needs 9-stations.
Should funding not improve by next June, the station will close for the third time and firefighters will be laid off.
