On Saturday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., a grand opening celebration was held for the grand opening of the revamped Station 4 of the Brea Fire Department in Olinda Village.
From a very rudimentary outpost of long standing at the shopping center just off Carbon Canyon Road has developed a portable structure and a steel station house, as well as a container for the CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) organization.
After the obligatory speeches by fire officials and city leaders, visitors toured the facility, enjoyed a barbeque lunch and ice cream, and visited booths for the department, the CERT group and the Carbon Canyon Fire Safe Council.
At about noon, there were probably seventy-five or more persons at the event, though after 1 p.m. the crowd thinned considerably. Overall, the event seems to have gone very smoothly.
There was some controversy, however, about the extent to which the facility was considered accessible as required by ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) standards, especially regarding the portable building. City staff determined that, because the building was not considered a fully public one, it did not need to meet those standards. The station house can be used for public events, but accessible restrooms would only be available through rented porta-potties, rather than the constructed restrooms in the building.
Still, the presence of a better station, with more personnel and better equipment, as well as the remarkably well-equipped CERT container, which reflects the superior organizational skills of the folks who volunteer to serve (and city staff) in Brea, is an important part of the enhanced fire protection presence for Carbon Canyon.
