The new Fire Station 37 at 7700 35th s.w. held an open house on Saturday Dec. 4 that saw hundreds of people crowd into the new facility to get a tour, see fire engines both old and new and get information on public safety.

The new station offers more than twice as much space as the former station 2 blocks north. That has meant some adjustments according to Captain Gordon Wolcott. "We used to be really together all day in real close quarters. At the old station in my office the chair backed up into the bed. Now I've got this huge office that's bigger than the watch office at the old place with my own bathroom and my own bedroom so it kind of pulls the crew apart a little bit. It's so large that I'll be down in my office and I'll realize, I haven't seen or heard anybody for 30 minutes. We sleep better at night because there's less traffic noise but that old building was pretty charming (...) So we are sentimental but this place is like, 'Oh my god, I never thought I'd work in a city building that was this nice (...) This new building allows us to do the things we really should be doing."

The former station, built in 1925, was designated an historic structure and will be sold but nothing official has been announced as yet. Sustainable West Seattle has suggested the potential of purchasing the property for a permanent home and multi-use facility for that organization, dubbed in their planning, "Sustainable Station 37" but financing would have to be arranged.

A 100% green building, the new Fire Station 37 is expected to get a LEED Silver certification which is a third-party certification program and the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high-performance green buildings. The 67 foot long main bay can accommodate two engines comfortably, allowing them to be washed indoors and it is equipped with exhaust vents to allow the engines to be run and worked on inside as well.

In November of 2003, 69% of people voting in Seattle approved the Fire Facilities and Emergency Response Levy. Over a nine-year period this program, which started in 2004, will use levy proceeds and other funding to among other efforts upgrade, renovate, or replace 32 neighborhood fire stations. Station 37 was on that list.

During the open house, staff from King County Medic One was on hand to talk about defibrilators, fire ladders, and other public safety issues. The SFD was well represented with staff from other stations there to hand out cookies, juice and coffee to interested neighbors.

The crew works in 24 hour shifts, with four different platoons that cover the firefighting and fire inspection needs of an area. They work under a single captain and three lieutenants.

All bedrooms and offices are on the main floor. Upstairs is the workout room with free weights, a universal gym machine, a stair clmbing machine, recumbent bike machine, and other gear. Just to the right of the top of the stairs is the kitchen or as it is known in fire stations, "The Beanery" which is well equipped with stainless steel appliances, a large freezer, dishwasher and a gas range.

On the south side of the top floor is an outdoor deck with a view of the Cascades and on a clear day, Mount Rainier. At the north side of the building is the recreation room equipped with recliners and flat screen TV. They have Comcast cable and a DVR. Lieutenant Tim Dungan who works at Ladder 6 was there to guide visitors and said, "That DVR is important in this job. You never know when you are going have to pause a show and you don't know how long until you will come back."

Out on the 35th Ave. s.w. side of the station a 26-foot interactive sculpture by artist Pete Beeman called "Lifter" was getting a workout. The sculpture features two sets of arms that are activated at the base. As the user turns the crank, the arms of the sculpture rise and fall slowly.

The art was commissioned with Department of Finance and Administrative Services Fire Facilities and Emergency Response Levy 1% for Art funds and administered by the Office.