Lafayette Fire Station Meeting Is Tonight

A meeting to discuss the plan to close a fire station (Fire Station 16 on Las Arabis Drive in West Lafayette) is at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 15, at the Lafayette Veterans Memorial Building, 3780 Mount Diablo Blvd.

An earlier announcement had the meeting on Jan. 7, but the date has been moved to avoid schedule conflicts, wrote Lafayette City Council member Don Tatzin in an email.

The discussion will include details about response times and coverage from other fire stations.

The Los Arabis Drive station was closed last June because of rat infestation and plumbing problems. The formal closure of this and three other stations are planned to take effect Jan. 15.

On Dec. 11, after nearly six hours of testimony, the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors unanimously agreed to close four stations under the auspices of the Contra Costa County Fire Protection District, including ones in Clayton, Martinez and Walnut Creek. The plan is for de-staffing Clayton down to six hours of service a day, with shared equipment.

Some Lafayette residents, including Mayor Mike Anderson, advocated using the West Lafayette station as an experiment in having two firefighters staff a station with reduced services.
 
The closures are needed to close a budget deficit with reduced revenues and increasing costs for personnel and general operations, ConFire reports.

of the need to retain the Shell Avenue station.