Courtesy Simi Valley Planning Department CUTTING EDGE—An illustration of what will one day be the new Fire Station 43 at 5830 E. Los Angeles Avenue. The old fire station, located in the Santa Susana Knolls, is being closed. Simi Valley firefighters will have a new, high-tech home in the near future.

The Planning Commission approved last week the construction of a 12,000squarefoot fire station at 5850 E. Los Angeles Ave., east of Yosemite Avenue. The now-vacant lot sits across the street from the Vons supermarket, just north of Phoenix Ranch School.

"Our firefighters deserve the best facilities because they provide a great service," Commissioner Jim Dantona said.

Fire Station 43 in the Santa Susana Knolls on Cypress Street would be closed, and the new Los Angeles Avenue station would replace its service on the east end of Simi, which includes the unincorporated areas of the Knolls and Box Canyon.

According to a staff report, the current station, built in 1952, is being replaced because it no longer meets code or operational requirements.

Marie Mason, vice president of the Knolls' homeowners association, said the commission's decision is old news for most Knolls residents, who fought the relocation of the fire station three years ago. But she said it is still disappointing.

"We're sad to see our station go. We wanted it to stay here, but there's nothing we could do about it," she said. "We tried and it didn't work."

Mason said she had hoped that a new station could be built on Los Angeles Avenue without sacrificing the Knolls firehouse, which she said could have been refurbished to meet code.

"We live in a very high fire area, so it's nice having our own fire station right here," she said. "We just wanted to keep it in the neighborhood because we feel safer with it here."

Kevin Nestor, deputy fire chief for the Ventura County Fire Protection District, said while it may seem odd to move a station away from a fire-prone area such as the Knolls, the new location is closer to the majority of the station's calls, which are usually injuryrelated.

"That's where our emergency calls are," Nestor said. "Our goal is to get to a call in five minutes, and it is difficult to do that from the current location."

More than 70 percent of the station's calls are emergency medical calls, Nestor said.

Planning Commission Chair Tim Shannon agreed that the fire district picked the right spot for building a new fire station.

"The new location will enhance the response time for most of your calls," Shannon said.

Three single-story structures are proposed for the site, including a fire station, a Red Cross training facility and a garage. The buildings feature modern architecture in a neutral palette with low5 maintenance materials such as stone, concrete, glass and metal. A third of the site will be landscaped with drought-tolerant plants, and there will be 22 parking spaces.

Project architect Joe Mansfield of San Diegobased RNT Architects said the station's architectural style harkens back to old rancheros but utilizes sturdy elements like stone and metal to convey a sense of strength and security.

"We're building a high-tech emergency response building," he said, "but at the same time, it's a home for the firefighters."

The commissioners were pleased with the look of Station 43's new home, which will house three staff members with room for additional staffing as required.

Shannon said he was only disappointed with one thing as he was looking through the project's blueprints—there's no fire pole.

"Things change," he laughed. "No poles anymore."