The Port of Long Beach said it has taken another step toward building two new stations to house fireboats and provide emergency response for one of the nation’s major commercial gateways.
On Monday, Harbor Commissioners approved engineering design services for Fireboat Stations Nos. 15 and 20. The Commission also approved a baseline project budget of $50.1 million for the first station to be built: Fireboat Station No. 15. will be located on the Main Channel, and is scheduled to be completed in 2020.
The second station, Fireboat Station No. 20, with an estimated budget of $51.6 million, will be located in the Port’s Inner Harbor. It is scheduled to be completed in 2021.
“These fireboat stations will safeguard the Port and our customers in this new era of big ships,” said Port of Long Beach Executive Director Mario Cordero. “They will provide the best waterside response possible, maximize landside firefighting coverage and serve as a home for our new, state-of-the-art fireboats.
“With ships more than doubling in size in the last decade and cargo traffic breaking monthly records, this is a needed upgrade to Port safety,” he said.
The fireboat stations will each include living quarters, a garage for firefighting apparatus and a full waterside wharf with enclosure for the fireboat.
The facilities will also be designed to attain the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Program’s (LEED) gold rating, using water-saving technology, energy-efficient appliances, natural ventilation and other features.
Later this year, Commissioners will consider putting the construction of the project out to bid.