City may close fire station near South Coast Plaza

Fire Station 6 near South Coast Plaza could close under a plan to reconfigure the Costa Mesa Fire Department.

The City Council plans to discuss shuttering the Metro Station at 3350 Sakioka Drive Tuesday as part of an overall restructuring of the fire department.

Station 6 has the smallest population served with about 3,000 residents while other stations average 17,000 to 24,000. It also covers the smallest area — .6 square miles compared with the 2.5 to 3.7 square miles of other stations.

The council can decide to implement all or some of the recommendations, or ask that additional research be done along with community outreach.

Other potential changes to the fire department would include increasing the number of paramedics from 10 to 13 on duty each day and reducing the number of firefighters from 29 to 27 per day, according to the report.

City CEO Tom Hatch recommended the restructuring take place in two phases. Hatch also supports a study that would examine the possibility of entering into a joint-powers authority with surrounding agencies for some services, including dispatch.

The restructuring could save the city $2 million a year, according to the staff report.

The changes proposed by interim Fire Chief Tom Arnold first came before the council in May 2012. The city council also considered, and rejected, a proposal that Costa Mesa partner with the Orange County Fire Authority for services in April 2012.