East Fire Station

Site Selection Underway

The City of Golden Valley is in the process of selecting and securing a site for the new East Fire Station.

  • 2023: The City Council discussed options for selecting a site at its January 2023 Work Session. In February 2023, the City surveyed residents and hosted multiple public information open houses to gather feedback from community members and to update residents on the status of the project.

  • 2024: City staff evaluated the feasibility of the top four sites and presented results for discussion at the May 14, 2024 City Council Work Session. Council requested staff to continue to explore additional site options for the new East Fire Station.

  • 2025: City staff have continued to explore potential locations for the East Fire Station that meet the needs of the community and Fire Department.

About the City’s Fire Stations

Golden Valley’s Fire Department currently operates out of three fire stations:

  • Fire Station 1, which is the main central fire station

  • Fire Station 2, which provides coverage to St Louis Park

  • Fire Station 3, which provides coverage for Minneapolis

A 2016 study of Golden Valley’s fire/rescue operations concluded the City needed to move from a three-station paid on-call staffing model to a two station duty crew staffing model. In 2021, the City of Golden Valley completed an analysis of all of its facilities needs that reaffirmed the findings of its 2016 fire/rescue operation study and identified a new remote fire station as the City’s number one facilities priority.

To improve efficiencies and response times, the City needs to consolidate Stations 2 and 3 to one remote fire station along the Hwy 100 corridor. Additionally, the City’s current fire stations do not meet modern best practices for firefighter safety, health, wellness, and equity.

The City’s analysis shows that a new East Fire Station will:

  • accommodate 24/7 staffing of duty crews

  • provide equitable facilities for male and female staff

  • improve response time with a central, strategic location east of Highway 100

  • reduce reliance on neighboring communities to respond to Golden Valley incidents

  • improve cancer prevention measures to better protect firefighters

  • locate personnel and gear a safe distance away from moving trucks

  • accommodate larger, modern fire trucks and equipment

  • increase efficiencies for training and maintenance

  • reduce the amount of firefighting equipment needed by consolidating stations

  • provide facilities for hands-on training

  • address ADA and accessibility challenges Apparatus bays doors are undersized for modern equipment, making for difficult entry and exit while responding to calls

In addition, a new remote station in Golden Valley will provide a regional resource for mutual aid response and training opportunities for other fire departments.

Read more about the changing needs of the City’s Fire Department by expanding the headers below.

  • Golden Valley’s fire stations were established to support a paid on-call staffing structure, which is no longer sustainable in today’s culture. Fire departments nationwide are finding it more and more difficult to recruit and retain paid on-call firefighters due to increased family and job obligations. This is also making it more difficult to respond to fire calls within Industry response-time standards.

    The 2016 study concluded Golden Valley needs to move from a three-station paid on-call staffing model to a two-station duty crew staffing model. To accommodate this, the City needs facilities to house firefighters 24 hours a day.

    In response to recruiting challenges and retention issues, in March 2022 the GVFD began staffing duty crews, rotating between the three fire stations. Each crew includes three to four paid on-call firefighters scheduled from 5 pm to 11 pm Monday through Friday, with full-time GVFD staff (chief officers and fire inspectors) covering from 8 am to 5 pm Monday through Friday.

  • GVFD’s current facilities do not provide adequate measures to protect firefighter health and safety. Stations are not equipped with ample workspace to reduce exposure to carcinogens and proper facilities to clean carcinogens off equipment and gear. They also lack a protected space for firefighters to dress for calls.

  • The current fire stations lack adequate training space, which means most training occurs on concrete and outdoors, which is not ideal in winter. Additionally, it means the Department often has to travel to neighboring Cities to utilize their training facilities. Current stations do not have sleeping quarters, which are needed for the City to transition to duty crew staffing. The current facilities do not offer adequate locker room space, including gender-equitable amenities. Many of the spaces dedicated to women are much smaller and do not offer the same amenities as the male spaces do.

    The transition to duty crew staffing will ensure long-term resiliency of the fire department and its operations. Facilities must first accommodate contemporary firefighting equipment and enable best firefighting practices. This includes:

    • drive-through truck bays

    • space to avoid conflicts with large vehicles and pedestrians

    • a protected space for firefighters to dress for calls

    • equitable facilities for male and female staff

    • improved spaces for maintenance, hands-on training, and physical fitness training

Current Staff Resting Space

Current Staff Men’s Lockers

Current Staff Women’s Lockers