The City of Ventura and Ventura Fire Department broke ground today on Interim Fire Station 7, marking a significant milestone in the City’s ongoing investment in public safety and emergency response.
Located at 2269 Alessandro Drive, the new station will provide an additional operational presence for the Pierpont neighborhood, Ventura Keys, Ventura Harbor and surrounding areas. Once complete, Medic Engine 7 will be permanently stationed at the facility. Construction is now underway, with completion anticipated in fall 2027.
“Today represents years of planning and investment in the future of public safety in Ventura,” said Mayor Dr. Jeannette Sánchez-Palacios. “This station will strengthen Ventura’s ability to protect the people and places we call home, and I’m proud to see this important project come to life.”
The need for additional fire service capacity has been identified through decades of planning. Ventura’s most recent new fire station, Station 6, was built in 1988. At that time, the Fire Department responded to approximately 5,000 calls for service annually. Today, the Department responds to nearly 19,000 calls each year, almost four times the volume from 1988.
Multiple planning efforts, including the City’s Fire Facilities Master Plan, Five-Year Fire Strategic Plan and an Emergency Services Consulting International (ESCI) study, have identified the Pierpont and Harbor communities as priorities for improved emergency response. These neighborhoods have consistently experienced some of the City’s longest average fire response times due to travel distance from existing stations.
In 2023, the City Council approved Interim Fire Station 7 as a priority Capital Improvement Program project. The 2.92-acre City-owned property at Alessandro Drive was selected in part because of its proximity to the coastline and its potential to reduce response times for nearby communities. The site previously housed a water infrastructure facility, which was demolished in 2024 to prepare for construction.
“Interim Fire Station 7 is an important investment in our ability to serve this community effectively,” said Fire Chief Kris McDonald. “In the nearly 40 years since our last fire station was built, Ventura has grown and changed immensely. This new station will improve our operational capacity across the city while placing firefighters and emergency equipment closer to communities that have consistently needed improved response times.”
The interim facility will include a 5,800-square-foot apparatus bay, approximately 2,880 square feet of living quarters, and a multipurpose room, along with the infrastructure needed to support emergency operations.
The project represents an investment of more than $12 million in public safety infrastructure, including $7 million in Measure O funding. The current construction contract was awarded for approximately $6.5 million, with additional project costs covering design, site preparation, and other related expenses.
Designed as a modular facility, Interim Fire Station 7 will address the City’s immediate need for additional emergency response capacity while long-term planning continues for a permanent Fire Station 7.
For more information about the Ventura Fire Department’s Five-Year Strategic Plan, visit www.cityofventura.ca.gov/FireStrategicPlan.
