Until recently, when an injured or ill Shelter Valley resident walked into the one-room fire station in the small community east of Julian late at night, he’d have to be seen in the “bedroom.” Rumpled bunk beds where the volunteer firefighters had just been sleeping made things a little too informal for everyone.
A new public reception area separate from the living quarters is one of many new renovations that will allow the Shelter Valley Fire Department volunteers to live and work comfortably and deliver more professional service to the 1,200 person community and surrounding areas. The public can check out the new fire station at an open house Saturday.
“It’s a huge improvement,” said Shelter Valley Fire Chief Kevin Bennett, who lives in Shelter Valley and has volunteered as a firefighter there since 1999.
The $686,000 remodel, funded through the County Fire Authority, includes a new 1,200 square-foot bay for the fire engines and water tender, three new bedrooms and a new kitchen, a new office and public entryway, new bathrooms, and a 30,000 gallon water supply—up from 10,000 gallons.
The old station was never designed for a 24-hour firefighting crew. Indeed, until a few years ago, Shelter Valley volunteer firefighters lived in the community and slept in their own beds at home. They headed to the station for nighttime emergencies.
However, the San Diego County Fire Authority, formed in 2008, established round-the-clock fire service at 12 backcountry volunteer fire departments, including Shelter Valley,
Under the Fire Authority, volunteers attend a CAL FIRE training academy and are paid a stipend in return for regular shifts at volunteer stations. The academy has attracted about 450 people so far, and the region’s volunteer stations now have trained crews who may not live in the community where they work.
To house the overnight crews and deliver a professional level of round-the-clock emergency response, the Fire Authority is modernizing stations around the region. With Shelter Valley, the Fire Authority has renovated 15 fire stations in the County’s rural areas
“Shelter Valley’s volunteer firefighters play a critical role in responding to structure fires, wildfires and the community’s emergency medical needs,” said County Supervisor Dianne Jacob. “This modernized station provides these well-trained volunteers an improved home base and builds on our efforts to boost firefighting services in the backcountry.”
Bennett said a new, energy efficient centralized heating and cooling system in the station makes living and training much more comfortable and safe. Before, an ineffective, underpowered wall unit meant firefighters sweltered or froze.
“Our daytime temperatures can be over 100 and we regularly freeze at night,” said Bennett.
The new indoor bay for the station’s engines, water tender and light rescue vehicle mean the trucks can be loaded with gear and ready to go at all times. Before, they were parked outdoors and had to be secured.
“Our response times have been drastically reduced,” Bennett said.
Shelter Valley’s volunteers respond to calls for car accidents, lost hikers, smoke, structure fires, brush fires, and medical emergencies in an area that includes Anza Borrego State Park to the Imperial County line and Highway 78, halfway up the Banner Grade.
The area regularly sees large brush fires, including this year’s Banner and Vallecitos fires and the Great Fire last year. With three bedrooms, new bathrooms, a storage area and a large water supply, the renovated station will be a valuable base during large incidents, Bennett said.
If you happen to live in or near Shelter Valley, or you plan on being in the area Saturday, Bennett and the other volunteers will be showing off the new station with public tours. The open house is 12 to 4 p.m. Saturday at 7260 Great Southern Overland Stage Trail. For more information, you can call 760-765-2888 or email sheltervalleyfire@gmail.com.
