Auburn fire chief previews Engine 2 replacement designed to keep current station operational during construction

Fire Chief Chase outlined plans at the Auburn City Council budget workshop on March 24 for a new Engine 2 fire station that city staff say will be built on the existing lot while keeping the current station operational throughout construction.

The plan shown to councilors is an 85%-complete design package intended for final contractor pricing. Designers and department staff chose the existing site after response-time and call-volume analyses indicated relocation would not be efficient. The construction sequencing would leave the existing station in service on the site apron while crews build the new facility behind it; emergency responses would use temporary egress “out the back and around the corner” once staff move into the new building and the old station is demolished to finish site work.

The design includes drive-through apparatus bays, a public service entry for burn permits and citizen interactions, and a separate employee parking area. Interior programming shows apparatus bays, an office and small conference/training room, day room and kitchen, residential dormitories, a fitness room and an equipment storage wing. The dorms use Murphy-style beds so a single riding position is associated with each bed and the room can be closed during a shift change, Chief Chase said.

Councilors and staff discussed modern firefighter safety features incorporated into the design. The plan groups contaminated turnout gear and wash facilities away from living quarters with a so-called warm/decon corridor, a large decon shower area and a PPE extractor and dryer to remove carcinogens before personnel enter the living spaces. The design also provides a fitness room and on-site training/conference space to reduce travel to central facilities for routine training.

Energy and mechanical systems were raised in the presentation. Staff said they are evaluating photovoltaic panels in a cost–benefit analysis and considering radiant floor heating in apparatus bays to create a thermal mass that recovers heat more efficiently when bay doors cycle open. The council was told the design team is also reviewing heating and cooling alternatives and will consider bid alternates and value engineering to control costs.

Chief Chase and staff emphasized the build sequencing and contractor pricing have accounted for maintaining operations during construction. Councilors asked about dorm capacity (six dorm rooms with four Murphy beds each assigned by riding position), gender-inclusive shower and locker designs with private changing spaces and the possibility of temporary double-berthing only for emergency surge needs.

City staff noted the design shown is the pricing set rather than final construction documents; the package is near-complete and will be used for final bids. The council did not take a formal vote on the station design at the workshop; the presentation was framed as an informational update tied to the broader FY26 budget discussion.