CHICO, California — On Friday morning, the groundbreaking ceremony for a new US Forest Service fire station took place in Chico.

Following the devastation caused by the 2020 North Complex Fire, the Mendocino and Plumas National Forests have partnered to build a new fire station at Chico Seed Orchard. The station will serve as the new home for the Feather River Hotshots and will also house two fire engines from Brush Creek, who tragically lost their station during the fire.

“We are building a machine shop with drive-through space for up to four machines or buggies, a training room to train the crews stationed there, office space, locker rooms and a gym,” says Justine Zeni, Plumas National Forest facilities engineer.

The expected $13 million project, with construction scheduled to begin in mid-August on Mechoopda ancestral land, provides an ideal location for deploying workers locally and nationally.

“Because we are a national resource, we need to be within an hour and a half of an airfield to get to the Sacramento or Redding airport and from there travel to Alaska or wherever we are needed in the United States,” explained Shane Bender, superintendent of the Feather River Hotshots.

In addition to improving response time, the Forest Service also wants to attract new recruits with the attractiveness of the new location.

“Locally, we’re having trouble staffing the fire trucks. For example, the one behind me that’s going to be stationed here is currently unmanned,” said James Lico, district fire chief, Plumas National Forest Division 3, as he stood in front of one of the vehicles. “At this location, people can have their families in the town where they work. That will be beneficial both for recruiting new recruits and for retaining those people.”

The new station, called the Feather River Work Center, is expected to be completed by the end of 2025. Officials are excited about the future of the Forest Service’s new facility.

“Collaboration will continue, not only with Mendocino, but with our local partners, Cal Fire and other local agencies, to provide this service and respond in a timely manner,” Lico said.

“Relocating a crew involves an enormous amount of work, so it is a great help that we basically have everyone on board who can do it,” Bender concluded.