DLNews Staff

A View Worth Protecting: Desert Hot Springs Celebrates Long-Awaited Fire Station 98

DESERT HOT SPRINGS — With sirens ready and doors already open for months, Desert Hot Springs officially cut the ribbon Wednesday morning on its newest public safety milestone—Fire Station 98—marking both a celebration and a quiet acknowledgment that the real work had already begun.

Located at 69111 Hacienda Avenue, the new station has been operational for some time, but April 1, 2026, served as its formal debut, complete with a community ribbon cutting led by city leadership and fire officials.

Mayor Scott Matas stood alongside members of the Desert Hot Springs City Council—Mayor Pro Tem Gary Gardner and Council Members Jan Pye, Daniel Pitts, and Dirk Voss—joined by Riverside County Fire Chief Robert Fish and CAL FIRE leadership, underscoring what has truly been a multi-year, multi-team effort.

The station, known as Fire Station 98 (Long Canyon), represents a critical expansion of emergency response capacity, particularly for the city’s growing east side. Staffed initially with a four-person engine company, officials say it is expected to evolve further, eventually housing a 107-foot ladder truck capable of advanced rescue and high-angle operations.

But beyond the technical specifications, Wednesday’s event carried a deeper tone—one of persistence. The project traces back years, including a groundbreaking in 2024, and reflects sustained commitment from past and present city councils, as well as coordination with Riverside County Fire and CAL FIRE.

City leaders emphasized that this is more than a building—it’s an investment in faster response times, stronger coverage, and long-term safety for a city that continues to grow and evolve.

And then there’s the view.

Perched with sweeping desert vistas, Fire Station 98 may quietly claim the title of the most scenic station in the Coachella Valley—if not beyond. It’s a reminder that even in a profession defined by urgency, there are moments of stillness, where firefighters can look out over the very community they are sworn to protect.

In Desert Hot Springs, that view now comes with something else: progress—long-awaited, hard-earned, and officially open.