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If a massive earthquake were to strike the Portland area, fire control would be critical.

鈥淲e’re really concerned about the (predicted) subduction zone earthquake and our water supply,鈥� said Glen Eisner, logistics chief for Portland Fire & Rescue. 鈥淚f the water mains break, we’re still responsible to get water to the fire.鈥�

In that situation firefighters would turn to the David Campbell fireboat, which has cannons capable of shooting 15,000 gallons of river water a minute. It’s an essential tool for big cities; Eisner said similar boats were used in response to 9/11 in New York City.

But if the power were lost or if the Hawthorne Bridge lift mechanism were to malfunction, the fireboat wouldn’t make it past the bridge. That’s just one of the reasons why the city of Portland is preparing to rebuild Fire Station 21.

The existing facility, at 5 S.E. Madison St., sits just north of the Hawthorne Bridge on the east side of the Willamette River. In addition to a new boathouse north of the bridge, the $5.1 million project calls for demolition of a 5,000-square-foot, seismically unsound building and construction of a 7,500-square-foot replacement.

Big challenges include unstable soil conditions and a tight project schedule 鈥� all in-water work needs to be completed in October.

The project team is reviewing proposals for construction manager-general contractor services, and Eisner said the city planned to have a firm on board by early September. Submissions were issued by , in partnership with ; , in partnership with ; and Howard S. Wright.

The project was delayed previously because of controversy about the request for proposals process used to hire the architect. The contract eventually went to , which is working in collaboration with David P. Suttle.

After contracts, submittals and materials are in place, the next big challenge will be to drive 11 structural piles into unstable soil. Eisner said that in the event of an earthquake the soils likely would liquefy because they are composed mostly of fill materials.

鈥淚f you start digging down you come across all types of debris, and building debris and trees and stuff used to fill that space in,鈥� he said.

Connie Johnson, construction project manager for the Bureau of Internal Business Services and Facilities in the Office of Management and Finance, said a process called compaction grouting would be used to stabilize the soil. Small-diameter shafts are advanced through the soil and a mortar-like grout is injected at high pressures as the shaft is removed, creating bulbous columns. The columns displace and compact the dirt around them.

Another challenge will be to maintain water rescue services while construction is taking place. Eisner said a temporary modular unit will be installed to house the fire crews. He said a permanent presence is needed at the site for river rescues.

鈥淭hey don’t often make the news, but they’re more frequent than people think,鈥� Eisner said. 鈥淓very few months someone gets saved out of that river in that location.鈥�

The most recent one occurred a few weeks ago. It’s Johnson’s job to make sure construction does not hamper those efforts.

鈥淢y job is to worry about everything and never feel comfortable,鈥� she said. 鈥淪o, yeah, I’m excited. It’s going to be a wonderful amenity 鈥� I didn’t realize the need for water rescue I think until I started working on this project.鈥�