The grand opening celebration for the fire station in Van Nuys replacing the Los Angeles Fire Department's oldest active station will be held Saturday.
The celebration is set to begin at 9 a.m. and will include a pancake breakfast and a bounce house and face painting for children.
The 18,533 square-foot Station 39 at 14615 Oxnard St. replaces the previous Station 39 at 14415 Sylvan St., across from the Van Nuys Civic Center.
The new station has enough room for two fire engines, one ladder truck, two rescue ambulances, and a battalion chief command vehicle, according to Los Angeles City Councilwoman Nury Martinez, whose district includes the new station.
The two-story facility contains living quarters for on-duty personnel, a fitness and wellness area, office space, a conference room, and an above- ground 4,000-gallon fuel tank, Martinez said.
Additional improvements include the construction of a 10-foot wall across the street from the station to temper sound from the sirens.
The new station is an art deco remodeling of the original neo-classic structure of the original Fire Station 39, Martinez said.
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The new station was first proposed in 2009 by then-Councilman Tony Cardenas, now a congressman.
The old station was originally constructed in 1919 and rebuilt in 1939. It was located on a narrow street, was outdated and could not accommodate modern-sized fire trucks and apparatuses and the current infrastructure and support needs of firefighters, Martinez said.
The old station will be repurposed for new uses, Martinez said.
