San Francisco’s Floating Fire Station Adds Resilience, Emergency Capabilities

A new floating fire station in San Francisco, USA is designed to provide fast response to a variety of emergencies, to adapt to the rise and fall of the natural tide of the bay, and to withstand future sea level changes tied to global warming.

Fireboat Station 35

Fireboat Station 35 is berthed at Pier 22-1/2, just north of the Bay Bridge, along the Embarcadero at Harrison just south of the Ferry Building, in San Francisco, California, USA. It is a 14,900-square-foot, two-story fireboat station, secured by four 60-inch-diameter vertical steel pipe guide piles that are 150 feet long, driven into the floor of the bay.

A lift for the city of San Francisco’s three fire boats enables the new fire station to keep up with maintenance and repairs. Fireboat Station 35 will also house rescue watercraft.

Floating fireboat station

The new floating fireboat station is located near the existing Fire Station 35 building, constructed in 1915

The new floating fireboat station is located near the existing Fire Station 35 building, constructed in 1915, which will be used to store fire safety equipment and from which a fire engine will be housed and deployed, in case of emergencies. The ingenious design of the floating fireboat station accommodates the needs of the Fire Department and the realities of the changing climate, in order to better serve an urban environment.

“The new Fireboat Station 35 will improve the Fire Department’s ability to meet our emergency response needs today and into the future,” said San Francisco City’s Mayor, London N. Breed. The US$ 39.9 million project is funded by the second phase of San Francisco’s Earthquake Safety and Emergency Response (ESER) bond.

New modern facility critical to emergency response

“The floating fire station is a welcome addition to the waterfront,” said Elaine Forbes, the Executive Director of the Port of San Francisco.

Elaine Forbes adds, “Our firefighters will have a modern facility critical to emergency response and the unique design advances major efforts to make the waterfront resilient, to both sea level rise and seismic risks.”

At the ribbon-cutting of the floating fire house, which took place on March 10, 2022, fireboats blasted water cannons dozens of feet in the air at the opening ceremony.

Base of the station can withstand sea level rise

The structure is designed to withstand seismic events in the earthquake-prone area and to render aid

The 173-by-96-foot base of the station was fabricated in China to withstand sea level rise and natural disasters. The structure was floated across the Pacific Ocean from China to Pier 1 on Treasure Island in the middle of San Francisco Bay, where the actual two-story fire station was constructed. The structure was later floated across the Bay to arrive at its permanent home at Pier 22-1/2.

The structure is designed to withstand seismic events in the earthquake-prone area and to render aid, including a small medical bay on board. Thus, the fire station will help to minimize damage during an earthquake and respond better to large-scale emergency.

Recruiting tool for future city firefighters

In addition to emergency response advantages, the new structure will also serve as a recruiting tool for future city firefighters. A group of high school students attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new floating fireboat station and a program at Mission High School trains students in fire science and basic EMT preparation, in partnership with San Francisco City College and the San Francisco Fire Department.

Twenty-one personnel will be assigned to the new floating fire station, with seven personnel on shift at a given time and including three personnel who operate the engine.