Airport in O.C. Will Get New Fire Station

John Wayne Airport has received a $6.9-million federal grant to build a larger and earthquake-resistant rescue and fire station and repave the airport’s commercial runway, airport officials said.

The new airport rescue and firefighting building, nearly twice the size of the current Orange County Fire Authority station 33, is expected to be completed by next summer. The 14,958-square-foot, single-story structure will stand near the tower, just north of the old building, said airport spokeswoman Ann McCarley.

The new building will have six bays. Although the grant does not include money for new equipment, the airport has purchased a new aircraft rescue and firefighting vehicle, which will be delivered soon, McCarley said.

The 5,700-foot-long runway, which handles about 250 commercial arrivals and departures per day, has not been repaved in nine years, she said.

The work will be done piecemeal between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m., when there is no commercial traffic, McCarley said, and should be completed by the fall of 2004.