The San Marino Fire Department recently installed new tempered-glass bay doors to replace portals that were more than 30 years old and becoming potential safety hazards.
A local resident driving past the San Marino Fire Department might get the impression that firefighters have left the station’s bay doors open, but that is not the case. In reality, the six old floor-to-ceiling portals — three each in the front and rear of the station — were recently replaced with tempered-glass entryways.
The doors’ wood predecessors had been in service for 30 years, it was estimated, and had increasingly become unreliable, with maintenance costs approaching several thousand dollars per year. The tragic prospect of a piece of equipment being unable to leave the station due to a malfunction became more worrisome.
First suggested by Capt. Dominic Petta, the plan for new doors was approved by the City Council in 2019 as part of the SMFD’s capital improvement program and cost a little more than $70,000. At public appearances, Fire Chief Mario Rueda frequently mentions the department’s operating hours being “24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year,” and the new doors reflect that policy.
“The doors serve as a beacon in our community,” said Rueda. ‘They are inviting, lit up at night and they advertise a safe space for residents.”
They also carry an overtly symbolic element.
“They represent transparency in government and our Fire Department,” Rueda said.
Among myriad other functions, all fire departments in Los Angeles County serve as safe locations where babies whose parents are unable to care for them may be anonymously surrendered.
