The city of Atascadero is celebrating the start of construction on a new public safety facilities project that officials say will help keep firefighters safe and healthy.
The fire department lowered the American flag for the last time at Atascadero Fire Station 1 on Monday before it is demolished in 10 days.
Fire Chief Casey Bryson said the station, which has been in operation since 1952, will transform into a new state-of-the-art facility equipped with the latest safety technology.
"Keeping the cancer-causing agents out of the living quarters is a big deal, so it'll be a decontamination corridor where you come back dirty from a call, you can get cleaned up, put on fresh clothes, walk right back into the station, leave all that in the turnout area, the engine bay, and keep it clean. So it's pretty exciting."
Bryson said the project should be completed in roughly two years.
