Perri Lynch, the artist who created the artwork outside the new Fire Station 21 at Greenwood Avenue North and North 73rd Street, tells us that defective electronics are to blame for the artwork not being lit up yet.

The rock-and-glass artwork was supposed to be completed by the end of last year, shortly after the Defenders of Greenwood moved into their new station, but Lynch and her crew have spent a lot of time troubleshooting electrical problems. She says the electronics need to be replaced.

“My apologies to the community for this delay and thanks very much for your patience,” Lynch told us by email.

Once completed, the glass layers of the artwork will be lit a bluish-green when the firefighters are in residence, and red when they are out on a call.

The Defenders of Greenwood welcomed the community to their new Fire Station 21 in Phinney-Greenwood today, and thousands of neighbors packed into the new two-story station.

The truck bay as seen from the stairwell.

Several tables were set up around the truck bay, with various activities for children, from coloring their own stickers, to correctly identifying hot objects they should never play with, to stacks of red plastic fire hats (which I noticed a few adults were wearing as well!)

Children color their own stickers.

Kids also got to try on official firefighting gear.

And meet Seattle Fire Chief Gregory Dean.

Top Pot Doughnuts had its mobile truck parked outside, handing out free old-fashioned donuts.

Artist Perri Lynch (below, second from left) designed and fabricated the stone-and-glass sculpture in front of the station. By the end of the month, the glass panels of the sculpture will be lit bluish-green when the firefighters are in-house, and will change to reddish-orange when the firefighters are on a call.

Just before this morning’s open house, the owners of Avanti Art & Design right across the street, presented the firefighters with a specially framed Fire Station 21 flag. The flag used to fly from the back of the fire engine many years ago. Several months ago, the firefighters had asked Avanti for a simple frame for the flag.

Instead, Avanti’s co-owners, Wendy Keen and Emmalee Bozek, asked a friend, woodcarver Baer Charlton to create something special.

Charlton found some 100-year-old vertical grain fir that had been in a fire. Charlton estimated he spent “more than 40, less than a hundred” hours creating the frame, which is 3 feet wide and 4 feet tall.

“It needs to be preserved and it needs to be showed off appropriately,” Charlton said.

Textile artist Charlene Bozek did the hand dying for the fabric backround.

The owners of Avanti said they missed having the firefighters across the street while the new station was under construction, and are happy to have them back.

“They’re the ones keeping us safe out there, Keen said. “We’re just really happy to have them watching out for us.”

The Defenders of Greenwood moved into their new Fire Station 21 a few weeks ago, but their grand opening celebration is from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday. The station will be “out of service” during the open house so fire fighters can concentrate on showing community members around the new station, and let them sit inside the fire truck.

The open house is sponsored by the Seattle Fire Department and Seattle Fire Fighters Union Local 27. They’ll provide refreshments and children’s activities. Up to 2,000 people are expected at the new station, which is at 7304 Greenwood Ave. N.

At the open house, the 12-foot-tall rock and glass sculpture by artist Perri Lynch will be dedicated. Called “Moment to Moment,” the sculpture will be lit by LED lights that will change from a bluish-green when the firefighters are in the station, to a reddish-orange when they are called out.

You can read a list of Frequently Asked Questions about the sculpture on Lynch’s website, and you can read our August feature story on the making of the sculpture here. Lynch says the artwork lighting should be functional by the end of December.

The trailers that temporarily housed the firefighters of Fire Station 21 at North 68th Street and Greenwood Avenue North are being moved.

The Defenders of Greenwood lived in those trailers for more than a year while the new Fire Station 21 was built at North 73rd Street and Greenwood Avenue North.

The dedication and open house for the new fire station is from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 3. Fire Department Spokesman Kyle Moore told us today that the fire department is expecting as many as 2,000 people to tour the station that day. They’ll also have refreshments and children’s activities.

Moore also wanted to remind neighbors that the fire fighters are very busy right now as they settle in to the new space, so please don’t knock on the door asking for a tour! You’ll have to wait for the open house.

The Defenders of Greenwood are moving into their brand new Fire Station 21 on the corner of North 73rd Street and Greenwood Avenue North today.

Before 11:30 this morning, Engine 21 was parked in front of the station, and the Multiple Casualty Incident Van was parked in the truck bay. Uniformed firefighters could be seen inside, checking out their new home.

Fire Station 21 will have a community open house from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 3, so everyone can tour the new station.

We got a sneak peek inside the brand new Fire Station 21 this week. Firefighters will move from the temporary station five blocks south, where they’ve been for the past 15 months, and into their new digs next Tuesday.

They may start moving some of their personal items into the station this weekend. The official move will happen the morning of Nov. 8, beginning about 8 a.m. Rich Hennings, senior project manager, said the new station should be fully operational by 12 p.m. that day.

Hennings said the construction timeline was delayed somewhat because three of the project’s contractors went out of business during construction (two of the earthwork contractors, and the first siding contractor). Ballard Sheet Metal stepped in to finish the siding. “I can’t say enough good about them,” Hennings said.

The new station was needed for three main reasons: the old station was not seismically sound, firefighters needed a better layout for functionality, and they needed space for more equipment and larger trucks. If need be, a ladder truck can fit into the new truck bay. Station 21 currently houses one engine and a Multiple Casualty Incident Van.

“It’s kind of a mini hospital,” Hennings said of MCIV. “It has backboards and medical supplies for multiple casualties.”

In the old station, the locker room and bunk room were cramped, and firefighters slept in the same room, with no privacy. The new station provides small private rooms for each firefighter, with a twin bed, cupboard, small shelf/desk and a reading lamp. Lockers are outside each room. A wide hallway leads straight to the truck bay.

Private bunk rooms will have a twin bed, small desk/shelf, cupboard, and reading light.

Walk through the station’s front door and you’re in the Watch Office. A firefighter is awake and in that area 24 hours a day. That area houses a few computers, and the Human Machine Interface. Firefighters can use the HMI to manually activate the Traffic Pre-Emption Signal if necessary. It’s tied to the emergency system to trip automatically when they’re called out, but they’ll use the signal again when backing the fire truck into the station after a call, to hold oncoming traffic.

Next to the Watch Office is the officer’s office and bunk room, and an ADA accessible bathroom and shower.

The red emergency phone outside the front door goes directly to 911. That’s in case the firefighters are out on a call, and the Fire Department wants every call logged.

The station has four officers – one captain and three lieutenants. One of those officers and three fire fighters cover each of the four shifts. Officers are in charge of each shift, and in charge of Drilling (checking fire hydrants annually, making sure drivers know the neighborhood roads and routes, building inspections, etc.)

The new truck bay has a dedicated decontamination room with a large shower and eye wash station. The Bunking Gear room allows storage of fire-retardant clothing and other gear. Every firefighter has two sets of bunking gear.

“Any time they get substances on them, they don’t have to bring that into their sleeping quarters,” Fire Department Spokesman Kyle Moore explained.

Firefighters will store their bunking gear in this special room.

There’s also a special washing machine that removes smoke and carcinogens, but doesn’t damage the fire-retardant properties of the clothes. “Basically it’s like an extractor that extracts all the gunk,” Moore explained.

Another room is for storing emergency medical supplies, and yet another room will house tools for maintaining and repairing equipment.

“This is great. The layout, the function. I think it’s one of the better designs,” Hennings said. “I know the firefighters are ready to get back in.”

A large window let firefighters see into the truck bay.

A wide stairway leads from the sleeping quarters up to the “Beanery” – the kitchen and day room. Each shift has their own cupboards for food. Motion sensor lights cut down on electrical costs. The day room is where firefighters relax or watch TV. The city pays for basic cable for them; if they want extras, they have to pool their money and pay for it themselves. They also buy their own day room furniture such as couches and recliners.

Standing in the Day Room, looking towards the kitchen. The balcony is at right.

Rainwater is recycled for flushing toilets, irrigation and washing the trucks. An electric vehicle charging station in the station’s back parking lot has its eye toward the future (but it’s not for public use). The station has a back-up generator that will run the station on full power for up to 72 hours.

The Personal Training room down the hall from the kitchen is full of natural daylight. The city provides some basic workout equipment (kettle bells, hand weights, and two machines such as treadmill, bike, stair climber or elliptical). Firefighters often add their own equipment as well. Firefighters get one dedicated hour per day to work out.

The view from the kitchen balcony looks toward Green Lake.

The stone-and-glass artwork in front of the station was designed by artist Perri Lynch (read our feature story on Lynch’s artwork). The glass sections will change from a bluish-green when the firefighters are in the station, to an orangish-red when they are out on a call.

And here’s a special plea from the Fire Department, which says that Greenwood and Phinney Ridge residents have an unusually close relationship to its fire station and fire fighters. Please give the firefighters time to settle into their new station before dropping in for an informal tour.

A community Open House will be from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 3. The station will be “out of service” during those two hours so fire fighters can concentrate on showing community members around the new station, and let them sit inside the fire truck.

Fire Station 21 firefighters will move into their new station at Greenwood Avenue North and North 73rd Street sometime the second week of November, not the first week as previously announced.

Fire Department Spokesman Kyle Moore tells us the contractors need a little more time finishing painting and other small details.

The Defenders of Greenwood tested out the new truck bay at the newly-built Fire Station 21 on the corner of Greenwood Avenue North and North 73rd Street today.

Fire Department Spokesman Kyle Moore tells us that the firefighters will officially move into the new station the first week of November.

Thanks to Mike Veitenhans for the photo!

The new Fire Station 21 in Phinney Ridge is getting closer to its expected opening day. Tuesday morning, Seattle Department of Transportation crews installed the new traffic interruptor signal outside the station on Greenwood Avenue North, just north of North 73rd Street.

Dale recently took the picture below as contractors started work early one morning. You can see the new station name and address signs in silver metal.

Project Manager Rich Hennings tells me that the Defenders of Greenwood should be moving into the new station by the first week of November.

Artist Perri Lynch has started installing her commissioned artwork at the new Fire Station 21 today, at North 73rd Street and Greenwood Avenue North.

Artist Perri Lynch, second from right, and installation crew.

The sculpture incorporates alternating large stones and glass with LED lights that will change color when the firefighters are called out on an emergency.

Glass slabs that will have LED lights that change color from blue/green to red/orange when firefighters are out on a call.

The $90,000 project is being paid for from Seattle’s Fire Facilities and Emergency Response Levy, which is also paying for the brand new fire station. The city’s Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs uses 1% to fund arts projects. Lynch told me today that 85 percent of that cost goes back into the local economy as she hires an engineer, installers and others to work on the project with her.

Artist Perri Lynch is in the midst of creating a free-standing stone and glass sculpture for the new Fire Station 21 that will incorporate LED lights that will change color when the firefighters are called out on an emergency.

Lynch says the stones and glass sections are layered to show the relationship between stability and fragility when a crisis occurs. The glass will be illuminated with blue/green LEDs, which will change to red/orange when the station alarm system is triggered.

Photo courtesy of Perri Lynch.

The sculpture is held through the middle by a six-inch galvanized steel pipe that’s about 14 feet tall. It’s located on the southwest corner of the site at 7304 Greenwood Ave. N.

Lynch, who used to live in the neighborhood, will begin installing the piece on that pipe next Monday, weather permitting, and hopes to finish by the end of the week. This is her second piece of art for a local fire station; the first is currently being installed in Issaquah. (Note 8-29-11: Installation is delayed about two weeks due to additional site prep work.)

Photo courtesy of Perri Lynch.

She spent a full daytime shift with firefighters at Station 21, going out on emergency calls, to help her create art that represented what firefighters go through every day.

“It was such an eye-opener to me. The strongest impression I had was how many hours of preparation it takes to roll out so fast,” she said. “To respond in a split second.”

She also was amazed at the almost rock star status that the Defenders of Greenwood enjoy.

“It’s very unusual for a neighborhood to have such a close relationship to their firefighters,” she said. “I hope that the piece…kind of reinforces the connection that the community already has with the station. I hope it also provides a beacon of safety.”

Artist Perri Lynch with a drawing of her stone and glass sculpture for Fire Station 21. Photo by Gary Burkhardt.

Some of the stones lower down will be perfect for children to sit on, and she hopes that people walking by will take the time to see a different perspective of the artwork every time. For her, Lynch said the work represents the interruption of the daily flow of life.

“For responders it’s the flow of their work, but for people in crisis it’s a total interruption of their lives,” she explained. “Fire in itself is a provocative medium, in terms of being one of the essential elements, but also one of these things that warms us, but also brings crisis to our lives. I love the multi-faceted aspect of fire.”

She’s also honored to have been chosen to create the art for Fire Station 21.

“It’s a humbling thing,” she said. “I’m really honored by the opportunity to have the artwork in your community.”

Construction should be complete on the new Fire Station 21, at the corner of North 73rd Street and Greenwood Avenue North, near the end of September, according to Project Manager Rich Hennings.

Fire Station 21 on Aug. 4, 2011. The windows with the huge fire deparment logo had just been installed.

Hennings said the “Defenders of Greenwood” should move from the temporary station five blocks south into their new headquarters sometime in early October, after the new building’s systems have been tested.