South King Fire and Rescue Station 64 is back and better than ever.

After 10 months of construction, Station 64 reopened for service on Monday. The station, located at 3700 S. 320th St. in Federal Way, is now staffed 24/7.

“The purpose of the construction was to make the facility earthquake resistant, improve critical infrastructure, and safety features,” said Lt. Brad Chaney, deputy fire marshal for South King Fire and Rescue. “This required that station be taken offline so that very invasive construction techniques could be completed.”

The work involved “binding” the entire second floor of the building to the exterior walls to make a more rigid structure, Chaney said. Additionally, sections of the apparatus bay walls were tightened through a process by placing hundreds of rebar pins in the walls and then encasing them with concrete, he added.

Large steel struts were tied into the concrete to prevent the building from swaying back and forth.

“It’s this movement that could induce a collapse,” he said.

Major electrical upgrades were also added to the station.

A full station emergency power generator with capability of running for extended periods was installed to keep safety operations going. Enhancements to lighting have been made, converting to LED lighting that should provide the station with a reduced power-consumption need.

All of this was topped off with a new roof as well.

“Thank you voters for your support and patience as we made these critical infrastructure upgrades to make sure we can provide you with the quality emergency services you have come to know and expect,” Chaney said.

Photo courtesy of South King Fire and Rescue