IE Business Daily Business news for the Inland Empire.
Construction has begun on what will be the San Bernardino County Fire Protection District’s first headquarters in its 94-year history.
The two-story building at 598 S. Tippecanoe Ave. in San Bernardino formerly used by the U.S. Defense Finance and Accounting Service is being upgraded, according to the statement on the county’s website.
Cost of the project is $26 million, with the money to come from the district’s reserve account and the board of supervisors’ discretionary fund, said Tracey Martinez, the district’s public information officer.
Work is expected to be completed in December 2023. The building will accommodate the administration, fire marshal and training, safety & emergency medical services divisions. It will be the first time those agencies will be under one roof, creating a better work environment for the district while allowing the county to drop several leases.
“It’s going to save the taxpayers money, and we’ll be able to work more efficiently,” Martinez said. “We’re looking forward to it.”
Eventually, the headquarters will include water and conservation features and a firefighters memorial.
The district essentially serves all of the 20,160-square-mile county, including some incorporated cities. It began with the formation of the Fontana Fire Department in 1928 and had several legal designations before being declared a protection district in 1994, Martinez said.
Today the district serves more than 60 communities and all of the county’s unincorporated areas. It operates 48 fire stations, seven paid-call/volunteer fire stations and has 1,060 employees, including more than 760 firefighters, according to the statement.
