Costa Mesa fire station from the ‘60s looks every bit its age

Firefighter Will Moss put a large foam dowel on the floor of a room at the Royal Palm fire station in Costa Mesa and watched as it slowly rolled away on its own.

Captains who bunk in that front room have to be careful how they position their beds on the slightly slanted floor, or they risk blood rushing to their heads, he said.

“Supposedly we have a ghost too,” Capt. Joe Noceti joked.

The Royal Palm station, built in 1961 at Royal Palm Drive and Adams Avenue, was once the Costa Mesa Fire Department’s headquarters. These days, its cramped garage can’t even hold the department’s largest trucks.

In June, the City Council will consider allocating $1.67 million toward building a replacement.

The money would kick-start the process, probably funding design and architecture services, according to city officials. The total replacement cost is unknown.

A new station would be a welcome development for the rotating five-person crews who staff Royal Palm. One of those units showed off the aging structure Thursday.

“I think I put in the most maintenance requests of any station,” Noceti said as he pointed out a peeling wash basin that he said backs up monthly.

At Royal Palm, communications equipment shares space with storage areas just off the main garage. A lack of air circulation means firefighters have to keep doors open and let the smell of diesel engines filter into their gear or risk the electronics overheating, Noceti said.

A few years ago, crews removed a tall wooden structure used to dry hoses. The rack was so termite-infested that firefighters were afraid a strong wind would knock it over, Moss said.

Inside, a weight room and a meeting area share space. And in the kitchen, the countertop easily separates from the cabinets under it.

“Formica’s making a comeback,” Noceti joked as he lifted it.

The station’s major concerns, though, are less cosmetic.

Firefighters worry about asbestos, and the station’s communal shower and locker room are woefully outdated, Deputy Chief Fred Seguin said.

The facility’s large — and only — bathroom has outhouse-style “vacant” and “occupied” indicators on the doors.

When the station’s lone female firefighter needs to shower or change, she flips up the “occupied” sign to let others know not to come in. That’s something the station’s builders in the ‘60s didn’t have to consider, since the force was dominated by men, Sequin said.

At this point, city officials believe that building a new station from scratch is more cost-effective than improving the existing one.

They foresee a new station of about 9,000 square feet, about the same size as the current one, said Public Services Director Ernesto Munoz.

That depends on the City Council’s approval, but as Fire Chief Dan Stefano noted, all five council members recently indicated that the station is a budget priority.

Some longer-serving firefighters like Moss said they expect they’ll be retired before a new station is finished.

The building’s low ceilings, wood paneling and yellowing lights aren’t all bad, they joked — with some rock candy and shag carpet added, the nostalgia would be almost comforting.

“Just like living in your own house, you get used to it,” Noceti said.