City staff ready to give higher priority to new fire station

Fire Station 7 in Sun City is the busiest fire station in Riverside County. (File photo)

By Doug Spoon, Editor

The likelihood of a fire station located in northeast Menifee in the near future seemed to increase during a City Council workshop this week.

After public testimony and discussion behind the dais, it was suggested that creation of a fifth Menifee fire station be moved up from a priority 4 to a 2 on the list in the City’s Capital Improvement Program. Continued heavy workloads on Sun City Fire Station 7 and the City’s increasing population were factors in the suggested priority increase, which will be further examined at another CIP workshop in two weeks.

The purpose of the workshop was to evaluate the priority given to upcoming projects and for staff to receive input from the public and council members in preparation for creation of the next fiscal year budget. The City already is progressing with plans to relocate Fire Station 5 to a new site in Quail Valley and renovate Station 68 on Murrieta Road, but the need for additional medical support and another paramedic unit in the City was made clear in Wednesday’s meeting.

One of the members of the public who spoke was Norma Zermeno, who suffered a medical emergency while at work in the Sun City Civic Association office on March 3. She told council members it took nearly half an hour for a paramedic unit and ambulance to arrive.

Fire Chief Olson Lonny Olson explained that virtually every unit in the city was already on call, causing a delay in a Sun City senior community whose fire station is the busiest in Riverside County.

“If this continues, we’re going to go from No. 1 in the county to No. 1 in the state,” said Ryan Holley, who also addressed the council.

Fire Chief Lonny Olson said the search for a site in northeast Menifee already has begun and that the City could work with the County Fire Department to address concerns about both the need for a new fire station and additional ambulance support. A new paramedic unit has been on order but its delivery has been delayed.

“A new station and unit would definitely take the brunt off the Sun City core area,” Olson said. “That said, we need time to determine what’s the best location for a new station. When a new medic unit comes on, we will have personnel ready for it.”

City manager Armando Villa said that a staffing plan allows for six additional paramedics to staff the new unit, which is expected to arrive late this summer or early fall. Assistant city manager Rochelle Clayton said there is a surplus in the Fire Department that could help fund the additional positions.