SF’s Brand New Floating Fire Station

San Francisco has a new fire station that may be the first of its kind in the world as NBC Bay Area recently reported.

Firestation 35’s new two-story floating fire station is berthed at Pier 22½ just north of the Bay Bridge.

The new Fireboat Station 35 started to come to life in Shanghai, China, where the 96-by-173-foot steel float that supports it was built. From there, it floated across the Pacific to Pier 1 on Treasure Island in the middle of San Francisco Bay where the actual two-story fire station was constructed.

Early on Thursday morning, when the tides were just right, the entire structure floated across the Bay and arrived at its permanent home at Pier 22½.

The new floating structure will rise and fall with the natural tide of the Bay, king tides and future sea level rise that is projected due to global warming. The San Francisco Fire Department’s three fireboats and rescue watercraft will be moored at the new floating facility. San Francisco’s new floating fire station is thought to be the only such design in the world.

The existing firehouse is vastly undersized to meet the Fire Department’s operational needs and does not meet today’s seismic-safety standards. The project does not involve any alterations to the existing Fire Station 35 building, which is designated as San Francisco Landmark No. 225. The building, constructed in 1915, will be used to store equipment and from which a fire engine will be housed and deployed.

Public access to the waterfront also will be improved with the construction of an observation deck south of the historic structure and will include public art and interpretive panels related to the fireboats fire stations. The existing dilapidated Piers 22 1/2 and 24 will be demolished.

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

Read More: SF Public Works