For Reynaldo Rodriguez, the sounds from Fire Station 33 have become part of life in his neighborhood.
Rodriguez lives next door to the station on Southwest 36th Street. He said he hears fire trucks pull out, return and sometimes train nearby.
“They’re right across from us and it keeps this area real safe,” Rodriguez said. “Just in being there, they’re accessible to whatever needs is needed around this part of the neighborhood or anywhere else.”
San Antonio City Council approved a construction contract Thursday of up to $9,173,961 to replace Fire Station 33.
Marksmen General Contractors, LLC, will build the replacement station at 2935 Castroville Road — just a couple of blocks from the current station at 2002 SW 36th St.
The project is a replacement, not an additional station expanding the department’s coverage.
San Antonio Fire Department Public Information Officer Joe Arrington said the department has outgrown some of its older facilities.
“We’ve physically outgrown stations,” Arrington said. “Technology is obviously advanced in alerting systems, as well as just physical limitations of these older stations.”
Arrington said newer, larger stations can provide more room for firefighters and equipment, while allowing the department flexibility to add apparatus in the future.
For Rodriguez, the important part is that Station 33 will remain close to the neighborhood.
“It’s a sense of security because they’re up all the time,” he said.
The Station 33 project is part of the city’s 2022 bond program. The contract funding is included in the city’s fiscal year 2027 capital budget. Arrington said newer replacement stations are intended to address the space and technology limitations in older facilities.
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