La Quinta to name Station 32 after fallen firefighter

A firefighter killed in the line of duty will be honored with a fire station named after him.

The La Quinta City Council voted unanimously to rename Fire Station 32 the Christopher Douglas Memorial Fire Station.

Christopher Douglas died two years ago responding to a crash on I-10.

Douglas’s wife, colleagues and friends want him to be remembered as a hero by the community he loved so much.

“He was one of the good guys,” said CAL FIRE Battalion Chief Alex Gregg.

Douglas was killed July 5, 2013, doing what he loved: helping other people. His engine was stopped on the eastbound Monterey on-ramp when Douglas was hit by a motorist.

“I can take care of it, can-do attitude kind of guy that something needed to be done, he was the first one that would raise his hand, ‘I can help ou,t can do it.’ He is definitely missed by a lot of people,” said Gregg.

Douglas spent eight of his nine years with CAL FIRE at Fire Station 32 in La Quinta.

“A lot of his co-workers that he worked with here are still working here and I think it means a lot to them to be able to honor his memory and what he contributed to not only the department but the community itself,” said Gregg.

“He loved La Quinta, he loved working for 32,” said Amy Douglas.

Douglas’s widow told La Quinta’s City Council what having a permanent memorial would mean her and Douglas’s two small children.

“He would be so stoked to have the station named after him and it would mean a lot to me for when I have to tell my kids the next 30, 40 years why their dad is not around. I can at least proudly say you have a dad that had a station named after him,” said Amy Douglas.

The official lettering for Christopher Douglas Memorial Fire Station will go on the wall by the front door.

“We are also building a memory box that will be in the front office on the front counter as you walk in that people will be able to see why this is here, because it will have the story of Chris Douglas,” said Gregg.

It’s a story that involved award-winning barbecue, selflessness and courage.

“He was definitely one of the good guys that we had. We hate the thought that we had lost him so soon, but hopefully his legacy will carry on and it will instill in the new ones coming in to follow that same path,” said Gregg.

CAL FIRE is paying the $2,500 for the dedication ceremony. It’s expected to be held sometime in October.