Long Beach officials, firefighters and neighbors gathered Tuesday morning to cut the ribbon on a brand-new Fire Station 9, a two-story facility at 4101 Long Beach Boulevard built to serve Bixby Knolls and North Long Beach. The station replaces the old station's function. The new facility was built on a site where a different office building had been demolished. The old station had sat closed since 2019 after years of leaks, mold and asbestos problems forced firefighters out entirely.
The ceremony, held on Oct. 20, brought together city officials and fire department leadership to mark the long-awaited milestone, according to the Press-Telegram. The outlet reports the new station will be home to a fire engine, a rescue engine, a battalion chief and eight firefighters. Community members were also able to tour the new building following the ribbon-cutting, per the same report.
City of Long Beach officials shared footage of the celebration in a Facebook video titled “City of Long Beach Officials Celebrate the Opening of the New Fire Station 9,” describing the facility as a station built to support emergency response and serve the surrounding community.
A Building Decades in the Making
The old Station 9, built in 1938 at 3917 Long Beach Boulevard, was one of the oldest and smallest in the department's roster of 24 stations, according to the station's closure coverage from the Long Beach Post. Mold was first discovered and treated there in December 2017, then reappeared the following June, prompting firefighters to relocate to nearby stations, the outlet reported at the time. Rescue 9 moved temporarily to Station 13 in the Westside neighborhood, while Fire Engine 9 was housed at Station 16 near Long Beach Airport.
The replacement project formally advanced in March 2024, when the City Council approved a contract with developer AMG & Associates to oversee construction, the Press-Telegram reported at the time. That earlier coverage described the planned building as a 12,779-square-foot, two-story station designed to house a fire engine company, a rescue company and a battalion chief, while this week's opening-day report describes the completed facility as 13,000 square feet — a discrepancy the available reporting does not resolve.
Funding Figures Vary Across Reports
Cost estimates for the project have also varied depending on the source and timing of the reporting. This week's Press-Telegram story described the finished project as costing nearly $31 million and said it falls under the city's Elevate ‘28 Infrastructure Investment Plan, funded through Measure A, Measure A bonds and general capital funds. The construction contract with AMG & Associates was $19 million. The Long Beach Post's own 2024 coverage put that same construction contract at $19.7 million.
The 2024 reporting also detailed upgrades beyond the building itself, including new traffic signals at Long Beach Boulevard and Randolph Place that the Fire Department would control to help manage traffic flow and emergency response. This week's opening-day account confirms the finished project included upgraded landscaping, paving, lighting, fencing, an alley and sidewalks alongside the new signals.
What Officials Expect Going Forward
City officials have said the new station should help speed up emergency response in the area, though no measured results have yet been reported. The Press-Telegram's opening-day coverage said the facility “is anticipated to lead to a reduction in response times,” while Fire Chief Dennis Buchanan told the Long Beach Post ahead of construction that “you're going to see a significant reduction in response times” once the new station opened.
Construction was expected to begin in May or June 2024 and run between 26 and 32 months, according to the 2024 Press-Telegram report — a timeline that lines up with this week's completed opening. For residents of Bixby Knolls and North Long Beach who watched the old station sit empty for years, the ribbon-cutting closes out a long rebuild that started with mold damage and asbestos concerns nearly a decade ago.
