In the Works - Community Newsletter - June 2020 | Page 35

One of Public Works most unique
construction projects – Fireboat Station
35 – is well underway. The future
firehouse, to be located at Pier 22 ½
along The Embarcadero, will be a twostory,
15,000-plus square-foot structure
behind the existing fireboat house.
The San Francisco Fire Department’s
floating fire station, which is on track
for a March 2021 completion, is
being built on top of a steel float and
anchored by four guide piles, which will
allow the structure to rise and fall with
the natural tide of the Bay, king tides
and projected sea-level rise.
The float arrived from Shanghai, China,
in late January and is temporarily
located on Treasure Island, while
Public Works manages its construction
– a joint venture between Swinerton
Builders and Power Engineering and
Construction. The float will make its
way to Pier 22 ½ in November, and
when it arrives, crews will continue its
construction.
The existing fireboat house at Pier 22
½ is a beloved San Francisco landmark
and will continue to function as Engine
Company No. 35 when the structure
arrives from Treasure Island. The San
Francisco Fire Department’s existing
three fireboats and rescue watercraft
will be moored at the new facility, and
the Port of San Francisco’s aging Piers
22 ½ and 24, where they are currently
docked, will be demolished and
reconstructed to meet current seismic
and safety standards.
The Fireboat Station 35 project is
funded by the voter-approved 2014
Earthquake Safety and Emergency
Response (ESER) bond. The ESER
bond program, which addresses critical
public safety needs in the City by
improving seismically deficient first
response facilities, was renewed for a
third phase during the March 2020
election with 82 percent of voter
support.