STATION73
By Rich Huntling
First built in 1958, the old San Bernardino County Fire Station 73 has been a valuable asset to the
organization. The station was not only the most recent home of Hazmat 73, but has also housed
Rescue 72. In fact, the old butler building in the rear of the property was originally built to house the
rescue unit.
These facilities were ultimately unable to accommodate the staffing needs of the Hazmat program,
spurring an effort to build a new firehouse. In 2014 the City of Fontana and the County of San Bernardino were able to secure funds for the new station, which hosted its grand opening in March. Nearly
a five million dollar endeavor, monies came from numerous sources, including the South Coast Air
Quality Management District, underground utilities and the Fire Capital Project Fund, which offered a
large contribution.
Next came finding a location, a daunting task but one that sought to provide overall reduced response
times to emergencies in the area. Eventually, a site on the corner of Banana Avenue and Foothill
Boulevard was selected. This spot, while less than a mile from the station’s previous location, will nevertheless help significantly reduce response times to the ever growing Village at Heritage community,
as well as to other new construction in the area.
Most recently, HM73 was involved in an incident on Interstate 10 this
February. A tanker truck carrying close to 9,000 gallons of fuel was
involved in a traffic collision on the westbound lanes, causing the
tanker truck to overturn on the right shoulder. First-arriving units saw
hundreds of gallons of fuel leaking on the freeway, and HM73 was
requested to mitigate the threat. The highly trained members of that
crew were successful in stopping and clearing the spill so that the
freeway could reopen.
With the addition of this new station, the city of Fontana will be
better served with quicker response times and an additional medic
squad, as well as the continued dedication of the Hazmat personnel
of Station 73.
With a footprint of nearly 9000 square feet, the new structure is a vast and modernized improvement
over the cramped old 73. This extra space will be crucial come July, when additional staffing arrives.
Currently, 73 houses four crew members cross-staffing three separate units, including a medic engine,
Type 1 Hazmat and a quick-response small Hazmat rig. However, this summer the new configuration
will feature a fifth crew member, with three staffing ME73 and two aboard a new medic squad. The
Hazmat rigs will again be cross-staffed.
The station currently houses the only OES Type 1 Hazmat unit in County Fire. Attaining this rating was
no easy task, and required the dedication of the Hazmat personnel. This effort was spearheaded by
Captain Tony Siciliano and his crew throughout a year-long process.
So what exactly does this rating mean? Similar to USAR typing, Hazmat typing defines a list of
minimum equipment and personnel requirements that must be met. These requirements include everything from having the familiar Level A Hazmat suits, to radionuclide detection equipment, to crew
members meeting specialist and technician level training. This typing also means that the crews at
Station 73 are ready with the personnel and equipment needs to respond to any hazardous materials
incident arising in the county or the state level.
The hazmat unit was called into action for the most difficult hazardous materials spill in County Fire’s
history, the railcar hydrofluoric acid spill of 2007. This acid is often used as an industrial cleaning agent
and was being transported through Fontana, when one of the storage tanks failed and began spilling
its contents. The major challenges of this incident were the high temperatures that day, the non-stop
leaking of the acid and the difficulty in its storage. Only two railcars in the country are equipped for
its transport, and the other undamaged car was halfway across the country at the time. Adding to the
complexity of the incident was the strength of the acid, which proved so strong that temporary storage
efforts were thwarted when the acid ate away at the storage equipment itself. This incident proved so
complex and taxing that the crews were working for multiple operational periods before the situation
could be deemed stabilized.
The new station 73 was dedicated to Local 935 SBCoFD retirees
Dennis Cunningham and Bob Greene. Both individuals served the
city of Fontana for many years before retiring.
Spring 2016 • FIREWIRE
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