Fire Station 65 will not close when Station 89 opens in Agoura Hills

In your article "New fire station is coming soon," dated Nov. 6, an erroneous statement appeared implying that Fire Station 65 would be relocated north of the 101 Freeway. We are confident this was an innocent mistake but, for the benefit of concerned citizens in the city of Agoura Hills and the surrounding unincorporated areas, we wish to clarify any misconceptions.

Fire Station 65 is not being relocated. The ceremonial site dedication that was held on Oct. 24 was for a brand new facility, Fire Station 89. The ceremony was attended by fire department officials, city officials and Los Angeles County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky, who has been extremely supportive of the addition of this new fire station, which will enhance services to his constituents.

Fire Station 89, situated north of the 101, will be the first station to be located within the city limits of Agoura Hills and will provide service primarily north of the 101 Freeway. Once the new station is completed and in service, Fire Station 65 will continue to provide the same exemplary service it has been providing, but this service will be provided primarily south of the freeway. As a result, response times to incidents south of the 101 will remain the same, while response times to incidents north of the 101 will be quicker.

Together, these stations will complement not only each other, but also the other four L.A. County fire stations in the immediate region —three in Calabasas and one in Westlake Village—all of whose resources are prepared to assist when necessary.

We sincerely hope this clarification demonstrates to the community that the addition of Fire Station 89 can only improve existing services.

Reginald C. Lee

Assistant Fire Chief

Division VII,

Central Operations Bureau

L.A. County Fire Department

A correct and updated story is on page 10.