City, County officials dedicate new fire station in Quail Valley

By Doug Spoon, Editor

City of Menifee and Riverside County Fire officials held a special dedication ceremony Tuesday for the new Fire Station 5, a state-of-the-art facility to serve the community of Quail Valley.

This facility, located at 29745 Goetz Road, will replace the old Fire Station 5, which has been in service since it was converted from a Forest Ranger Station in the 1960s. That station is much smaller than the current building and was in serious need of an upgrade.

The new station is a 9,000-square-foot facility that can house eight firefighters, with three full-size bays to accommodate the latest equipment, including a 60-foot ladder truck.

“We are extremely grateful for the experience and professionalism of the firefighters in our City of Menifee,” said Bryan Jones, Assistant City Manager. “The Riverside County Fire Department and Cal Fire have done a lot to protect our community, and we look forward to an ongoing collaboration.”

Officials broke ground on the new station in December 2022, bringing to reality the vision of former Menifee Fire Chief Josh Bischof and former District 2 City Council member Matt Liesemeyer.

“It was great to be here and see the station completed,” said Liesemeyer, who attended Tuesday’s ceremony. “While it was nice for some of the council to acknowledge me and give me credit for the new station, I have to pass the credit to one of our former Chiefs, Josh Bischof. Without Josh’s leadership and all of our conversations, we wouldn’t have been standing here today. This is just another mark that Josh left on our city.”

Bischof, who served 3½ years as the Battalion Chief in Menifee, died on Aug. 6, 2023 in a helicopter crash while on duty during a fire in Cabazon.

Mark Scovill, who has served as the city’s Fire Chief since March, was also on hand to recognize the importance of the event.

“This station represents much more than just a building,” Scovill said. “It’s a testimony to the city’s unwavering commitment to safety and public service. Strategically placed to maximize accessibility in the community, the Quail Valley Fire Station will enable Cal Fire and the Riverside County Fire Department to fulfill their mission to provide life-saving services to our growing community.”

Mayor Bill Zimmerman addressed the crowd as well.

“It’s great knowing how those firefighters served the community from what was originally a ranger station,” Zimmerman said. “It’s long overdue to have this upgrade.

“Public safety has always been the No. 1 priority of the City Council. This is a testament to the commitment and dedication of the council members from the beginning. I also want to thank the voters who, back in 2016, approved Measure DD, the ‘Quality of Life’ Measure. Without that, we wouldn’t be here today.”

Measure DD, a 1 percent sales tax specifically to fund public safety and infrastructure, plays a large part in funding the City’s Fire Department. Of the City’s 2024-25 budget, a total of $13.1 million goes to the Fire Department – 64 percent of the department’s $20.3 million budget. The total construction cost for Fire Station No. 5 was $8.855 million, with nearly two-thirds of the funding allocated from Measure DD.

In addition, Measure DD enabled the City to create its own police department in 2020. This year, a total of $7.7 million goes to the Menifee PD – 25 percent of the department’s $30.4 million budget.

“The opening of Fire Station No. 5 represents another milestone in Menifee’s leadership, both elected and staff, for their ongoing commitment to ensuring the safety and well-being of the Menifee community,” said Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire Department Chief Bill Weiser in a prepared statement. “This new, state-of-the-art facility enhances our ability to respond to emergencies faster and more effectively, thanks to its larger capacity, modern infrastructure, and the latest firefighting technology. We are proud to partner with the City of Menifee, Riverside County Fire, and CAL FIRE to continue building a stronger, safer community for years to come.”

The final speaker before Tuesday’s ribbon cutting was Senator Kelly Seyarto, a retired firefighter.

“It’s great to see new fire stations that are not retrofitting these kinds of systems into their stations like we had to do with those 50s and 60s stations,” Seyarto said.