IE Business Daily Business news for the Inland Empire.
The Morongo Band of Mission Indians has started construction on a fire station that will serve the reservation and communities in the San Gorgonio Pass.
The facility at Morongo and Santiago roads will replace the station used by the tribe’s full-time fire department since 1998, according to a tribal statement..
It will cover approximately 15,000 square feet – more than twice the size of the current station – and will include two apparatus bays and space for 12 firefighters and several ambulance personnel per shift.
Cost of the facility, which broke ground earlier this month, was not disclosed. The station is expected open in late 2024 or early 2025.
“We are taking an important step to move our fire department forward so it can continue to serve our tribe and the surrounding communities,” said Charles Martin, Morongo tribal chairman, in the statement. “Public safety has always been a top priority for our tribe, and this new station will enable the Morongo Fire Department to protect lives and property.”
The Morongo Fire Department has nearly 50 firefighters, emergency medical technicians and ambulance workers. The department responds to more than 1,500 incidents a year, nearly half of which are in cities and communities that surround the reservation, according to the statement.
