Grand Opening of Fire Station 83 in Encino
The men and women of the Los Angeles Fire Department warmly welcome you to join Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, Councilmembers Jack Weiss and Greig Smith as well as civic and community leaders, including Fire Chief William Bamattre at the public dedication and grand opening of the LAFD's newest Neighborhood Fire Station.
Sunday, February 26, 2006
1:00 PM
New Fire Station 83
4960 Balboa Boulevard
Encino, CA 91316
We are pleased to offer an interactive map and driving directions to this new facility, which is now in service and protecting the Encino area and adjacent neighborhoods of the south and central San Fernando Valley.
Following Sunday's brief dedication ceremony, there will be free food and entertainment as well as a chance to tour Southern California's newest Fire Station. All members of the community are warmly welcomed to this family-themed public event.
Please let us share a brief history of Fire Station 83...
Spurred by the 1935 opening of the Sepulveda Pass, the post-depression years saw tremendous growth in Los Angeles' San Fernando Valley. This growth clearly impacted members of the Los Angeles Fire Department, who responded from the seemingly distant communities of Van Nuys and Reseda across narrow and unpaved roads to an ever-increasing number of alarms in what is now known as Encino.
After the devastating floods and firestorm of 1938, and as citrus fields and packing houses slowly gave way to a grid of proper roads and housing, there was an influx of stars - and those who hoped to be, all claiming their part of life's dream in the San Fernando Valley. While Bob Hope's move to the area in 1938 sparked the interest of many, our nation - including 337 members of the LAFD were soon embroiled in the Second World War.
It was during World War II, in 1942 to be exact, that the Los Angeles Fire Department first established Engine Company 83, placing it in a makeshift building in the 16900 block of Ventura Boulevard, just east of Genesta Avenue in what was later to become the treasured open space of Encino Park.
In 1944, and with San Fernando Valley population nearing 176,000 residents, renowned singer Bing Crosby released his chart-topping tune "San Fernando Valley", causing many GI's overseas to fulfill the promise of the song and make the San Fernando Valley - and Encino - their home.
In 1948, in the midst of a post-war burst of population and industry, the citizens of Los Angeles invested $108,815 in land and building costs to move Engine Company 83 around the corner and just east to a new and more fitting home on an 8,300 square-foot lot at 5001 Balboa Boulevard.
For nearly six decades, that 5,150 square-foot single-bay Fire Station built in the early Truman presidency remained so externally appealing and well maintained that people refused to believe it predated the full arrival of General Motors in Van Nuys, the first rocket test at Rocketdyne's Santa Susana Field Lab - or the skyrocketing demands of a modern day fire service.
Yet for those working inside the 58-year-old building, there was the daily struggle to properly and effectively respond to the growing emergency needs of those living in the Station's 6.57 square-mile district.
Old Fire Station 83's increasingly troublesome electrical, mechanical, and plumbing systems could no longer support a modern, diverse and efficient workforce, and furthermore, the overcrowded and antiquated facility did not allow the flexibility and safety necessary to promptly serve the community.
Many of Old Fire Station 83's neighbors were known to look on in amazement as the staff at the single-bay Fire Station would scramble around the clock to move one or more vehicles when an emergency response would call for only the Engine Company or the Ambulance, merely to see the process repeated again and again as the crews returned to quarters and were dispatched to subsequent emergencies.
Because the property beneath Old Fire Station 83 was too small to support a new or revamped Fire Station, Proposition F of November 2000 has provided the community with a new 15,250 square-foot Fire Station on a one-acre lot at 4960 Balboa Boulevard - almost across the street from the Old Station.
Groundbreaking for new Fire Station 83 took place on April 26, 2004.
Built to exacting safety, seismic and efficiency standards at a combined cost of less than $7 million, New Fire Station 83 will be formally dedicated this Sunday, just 21 months after groundbreaking.
The new station houses a four-person Paramedic-Assessment Engine Company, a two-person Paramedic Rescue Ambulance and an Emergency Medical Services Battalion Captain.
The new energy efficient six-bay facility features an important "drive through" feature that prevents the need to block traffic on Balboa Boulevard when rehousing large fire apparatus.
The new station will also serve as a home base for cross-staffed specialty vehicles and support units, including a pick-up truck mounted Emergency Lighting Unit for use at major emergencies and disasters, a full-sized 4-wheel drive Brush Patrol for preventing and assisting with incidents in the adjacent Santa Monica Mountains, as well as a nimble Off-Road Micro Utility Vehicle for handling staff movement, medical emergencies and patient transport at large public events, such as the festivals held year-round at nearby Lake Balboa and the Sepulveda Basin Recreation Area.
As part of LAFD's continuing commitment to disaster preparedness, new Fire Station 83 will also host one of the Department's six quick response Medical Supply Trailers, capable of providing mass-care supplies and specialized equipment at the scene of a local or regional disaster.
As Los Angeles Firefighters, we know that neighborhood safety demands community interaction. The ability of Fire Station 83 personnel to now host community functions and training events in the station's new community room will allow Neighborhood Firefighters an even closer and more productive relationship with those they proudly serve.
Once part of what Bing Crosby crooned as being in "cow country", Encino has become a populous and affluent community with many single family homes, apartment complexes, high rise offices and a burgeoning retail district.
Yes, new Fire Station 83 is a community-wide asset whose time has clearly come.
We encourage you to learn more about new Fire Station 83 and the many Fire Department facilities being modernized by Proposition F by viewing a highly detailed Monthly Progress Report which can be accessed on-line via:
The men and women of the LAFD look forward to seeing you and your family on Sunday, February 26 in Encino!
Submitted by Brian Humphrey, Spokesman
Los Angeles Fire Department
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