D.C. hopes new firehouse part of area’s revitalization

Opens doors at former Walter Reed Medical Center property

By Julia Airey – The Washington Times

The D.C. Fire and EMS Department at long last has added a new firehouse in upper Northwest, fulfilling 40 years of promises.

Engine Company 22 opened its doors Friday at The Parks at Walter Reed in the Brightwood neighborhood, becoming the third new firehouse to open under Mayor Muriel Bowser.

During a ribbon-cutting ceremony, Miss Bowser noted that the engine company was the site of the city’s first groundbreaking at The Parks at Walter Reed, the 66-acre redeveloped property that formerly housed the Army’s medical center. The District purchased the property from the Army for $22.5 million in 2014 with the goal of providing space for residences, retail stores, schools and other mixed-use projects.

“We are proud to deliver this tremendous facility to the men and women at FEMS and to the community,” the mayor said of Engine Company 22, which had been located in the 5700 block of Georgia Avenue NW since 1897 and now sits in the 6800 block of the avenue.

Comprising 12 firefighters, the $13.1 million firehouse is home to Fire Engine 22, Fire Truck 11 and Ambulance 22, serving both the Brightwood and Takoma neighborhoods. The state-of-the-art, 19,000-square-foot facility features three floors, a community room for neighborhood use, a green roof, and underground parking, as well as training and living spaces, for its personnel.