Rosslyn Fire Station Open For Business In The Highlands Development

ROSSLYN, VA — Local officials gathered Thursday morning to celebrate the opening of Fire Station 10 in Rosslyn.

The ceremony was the culmination of a 10-year process, involving a public-private partnership that replaced the old station with a state-of-the-art facility on the ground floor of a high-rise condominium building.

Victor Tolkan is the managing partner and founder of Penzance, the developer who built the new fire house.

"Any project faces its challenges, its ups and its downs, and when a municipality has the opportunity to recapture a large enough piece of land in its urban core to do a project like this, it's really something," he said, during the opening ceremony.

Through its partnership with Arlington County, Penzance was able to develop three residential buildings in the heart of Rossyln. In addition to providing high-end retail on the ground floors of the buildings, the company also provided new locations for the HB Woodlawn School and Fire Station 10. It also preserved much needed green space and basketball courts at The Highlands Park nearby.

Arlington County Board Chair Matt de Ferranti was thrilled that the new station in Rosslyn was open. He called it a great example of what partnerships could accomplish, especially in areas like Rosslyn where so much development is already in place.

"We're going to have to keep doing this," he said. "So much of what the fire department does now is not only fires but EMS, saving people's lives when they have a heart attack or an accident. We're going to have to have stations located in more urban parts of our county."

Although the official opening was on Thursday, the crew from Engine 110 has been occupying their new home since the middle of August.

"We were coming from a station that was built 50-plus years ago, so accommodation-wise, we're the latest and greatest in fire station design features," said Capt. Matthew Herrera, who leads Engine 110. "It's obviously comfortable and the guys have settled in. We're kind of teased that we're living in the condos of Station 10 now."

The new station is also located directly on the street, which will make it easer for firefighters to enter and exit the facility.

"The big thing is the public-private partnership the allowed us to take this space, with the condo units above," Herrera said. "For the first time, we have secured parking underground, which is nice for the guys coming in."

After all of the speakers had spoken and everyone had been thanked, representatives from the fire department, county government and Penzance gathered in front of the open garage doors for one important task.

Rather than cutting a ribbon, they picked up a firehose that had been laid on the sidewalk, posed for photos and then uncoupled the hose.

With big smiles on their faces, Tolkan and de Ferranti, who now held the ends of two separates hoses, shook hands. The station was officially open.