Work is set to begin on a new San Diego Fire-Rescue Department fire station which will be the first of its kind in the City. Mayor Todd Gloria, UC San Diego Chancellor Pradeep K. Khosla, Councilmember Joe LaCava and Fire-Rescue Chief Colin Stowell recently broke ground on the newest City of San Diego fire station. Construction is set to begin this month on Torrey Pines Fire Station 52, which will be built directly adjacent to the campus of UC San Diego.

This new station will serve University City and surrounding communities for generations. The project is expected to be complete in the winter of 2024, making this the 11th new or rebuilt San Diego Fire-Rescue Department (SDFD) fire station since 2015.

“This community has waited patiently for more than five years for a new Fire-Rescue station, and I'm happy to say we’re finally getting it done,” said Mayor Gloria. “I’m grateful for the partnership with UC San Diego that is bringing additional first responder coverage to the Torrey Pines area. The land and funding the university provided were critical to getting this fire station built and helping the City deliver this important infrastructure investment.”

Fire Station 52 will be located east of North Torrey Pines Road on the northwest corner of the campus. Discussions about this project between the City of San Diego and UC San Diego began in 2010. The university gave the City $20.5 million and the land upon which the station will be built. The total cost of the facility with surrounding infrastructure improvements is projected to be $22,256,000. 

“Fire Station 52 will protect our community and our climate,” said Councilmember Joe LaCava. “Electrification of our fleet and our facilities will propel us toward our Climate Action Plan goals.” 

This project fulfills Mayor Gloria’s recent Strategic Plan commitments to protect and enrich every San Diego neighborhood and champion sustainability. Fire Station 52 will be the first station in San Diego to house an all-electric fire apparatus and rapid electric vehicle charging station. 

“We are grateful to UC San Diego for their investment in this facility,” said Fire Chief Colin Stowell. “The recent increase in population and density on campus, as well as surrounding communities, means calls for service increase. Once operational, Fire Station 52 will fill a great need in this area.” 

The facility will be two stories with more than 14,000 square feet of space and located within SDFD’s Battalion 5. Fire Station 52 will have three apparatus bays, sleeping quarters for nine personnel, an office for firefighters and the battalion chief’s office, an exercise room, a kitchen, a ready room and on-site parking. It will consist of three firefighter safety zones – the living areas, areas to perform equipment cleaning and a decontamination area. These zones follow SDFD’s Cancer Awareness Prevention Program guidelines for the health and safety of fire crews.  

“This new fire station greatly enhances safety not just for UC San Diego, but also for everyone living and working near campus,” said UC San Diego Chancellor Pradeep K. Khosla. “This project is a direct result of our strong relationships with the City of San Diego and our neighbors, and it demonstrates our ongoing commitment to improving our neighborhood, our city and our region.” 

Fire Station 52 was designed and will be built by Level 10 Construction and the architect is The Miller Hull Partnership LLP.  

Since 2014, the City has opened new fire stations in five neighborhoods – City Heights, Little Italy, Mission Valley, Point Loma and Hillcrest – and renovated four others that serve the communities of La Jolla, Mira Mesa, North Park and Southcrest.