Tualatin Valley Fire and Rescue’s Fire Station 59, also called the Willamette Station, is officially open for business. The Willamette Fire Station is located at 1860 Willamette Falls Drive in the heart of West Linn. In addition to responding to fire, medical and rescue incidents, firefighters at Station 59 respond to a significant number of motor vehicle accidents on Interstate 205, as well as water emergencies in Clackamas County.
The station is home to a daily engine company crew of four firefighters and the District’s Water Rescue Team. The 12,260 square foot building includes sleeping rooms, a kitchen, physical fitness area, an office, a large apparatus and storage bay, and a community room.
The new station replaces an older fire station that was too small for current fire apparatus and was not seismically stable. During construction, firefighters from Fire Station 59 worked out of a temporary fire station located directly behind the old structure. With the temporary station being located so close to the former location, incident response times were not affected during construction.
The Willamette Station was constructed to survive a major earthquake and is large enough to accommodate today’s modern fire apparatus. It also allows the District’s Water Rescue Team to keep its water rescue vehicle hooked up to Boat 59, dramatically improving the team’s response time.
The station is also energy efficient and designed to meet a certification from the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system. The building incorporates extensive use of natural light, solar panels to preheat water, on-demand water heaters, rain-water capture for toilets, use of low emission and recycled construction materials and high-efficiency lighting, heating and cooling systems.
The $2.26 million station was designed with extensive public input. TVF&R participated in over 40 public meetings with neighborhood associations, historical resource advisory groups, the Planning Commission, and the West Linn City Council detailing plans for reconstructing fire stations in West Linn.
Fire Station 59 is one of two TVF&R stations to be built in West Linn. TVF&R is also building a new fire station in the Bolton neighborhood to replace the aging Fire Station 58. Both projects are paid for by bonds approved by 68.6% of voters in November 2006. The $77.5 million general obligation bond pays for capital improvements across the District and is expected to improve and maintain TVF&R’s response to emergency incidents. To learn more about the bond, click here.
Finally, the Willamette Fire Station incorporates an important part of West Linn firefighting history: A historic bell that called firefighters to action for half a century now sits atop the new building for all to see.
The Willamette Fire Station will host an open house celebration on Saturday, April 3rd from 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. so the community can explore the new building and meet their firefighters.
Click here to see how the Willamette Station’s construction progressed from the foundation up.
