Residents of Lakeland Hills, Kersey Way and Hidden Valley have been underserved with fire, rescue and emergency medical services.
But with last Saturday’s dedication of the 12,791-square-foot, $5.1 million Lakeland Fire Station 33, north of the intersection of Lake Tapps Parkway and 182nd Avenue East, the Valley Regional Fire Authority is at last ready to meet the needs in these growing areas, said Fire Chief Stan Laatsch.
“One thing we didn’t have up here was emergency services,” Laatsch said, nodding toward Lakeland Hills and Lake Tapps Parkway. “It had to come from Station 32 near the old bowling alley, or all the way from the Pacific station, and that was a long way for somebody suffering a heart attack or with life-threatening injuries or whose house was on fire.”
Dignitaries and residents from the three cities attended enjoyed refreshments, door prizes, equipment and safety displays and watched firefighter action demonstrations. Kids struggled into kid-size firefighter gear, made foam fire trucks, toured the fire engine and aid car, met “Sparky the Fire Dog” and “Pluggie” the fire hydrant robot while their parents toured the facility and used a thermal-imaging camera to detect hot spots in a dark room. Auburn Riverside High School Jazz Band members played holiday tunes.
Voters in the three VRFA cities of Auburn, Algona and Pacific in Februaryof 2008 approved a $19.8 million general obligation bond to build the station on 3.5 acres at 500 182nd Ave. E., as part of a larger capital funding projects measure. Construction began last December. In addition to the apparatus bay, the station includes a resource room, day room, kitchen, two offices, lobby, eight bedrooms, shop, gear storage bunker and a decontamination room.
“We’re celebrating a first,” Pacific Mayor Richard Hildreth, chairman of the VRFA Board of Governance told the plus-100 crowd gathered in the apparatus bay. “This is the first station built from the very first levy of the Valley Regional Fire Authority, and the Valley Regional Fire Authority is the first regional fire authority in the state of Washington.
“ … Our No. 1 concern was improving the level of service, and I think today this fire station is testament that we have kept that commitment. But we’re not done yet,” Hildreth added.
Other projects
Indeed, the general obligation bond also covered:
• A complete interior and exterior remodel of the 27-year-old Lea Hill Station 24 at 31204 124th Ave. SE.
• A complete interior and exterior remodel of 23-year-old South Auburn Station 32 at 1951 R St. SE., now underway.
• A new ladder truck to replace the 1998 combination fire engine and 65-foot high hydraulic ladder. Delivery is expected early next year.
The new station also will provide support to areas in the city of Pacific now served by Station 38 and South Auburn Station 32.
It will be staffed by a three-person engine company and the technical and water rescue teams.
The addition of the facility brings the number of stations in the VRFA service area to five. The others are North Auburn Station 31 at 1101 D St. NE., South Auburn Station 32 at 1951 R St. SE., Lea Hill Station 34 at 31204 124th Ave., and Pacific Station 38 at 133 3rd Ave. SE.
The VRFA also is considering the site for a future building that could include an emergency operations center and administrative offices.
Auburn Mayor Pete Lewis, chairman of the board of governance of the VRFA, later praised the decision of voters in the three cities to form the VRFA. He noted that the City of Auburn “absolutely could not have built the new station on its own without the VRFA.”
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Fire Station 33 at a glance
• Location:
• Square footage: 12,791
• Project owner: Valley Regional Fire Authority
• Project manager: Paul Berry, Harris and Associates.
• Architect: Ed McManamna, Rice Fergus Miller Architecture and Planning
• General contractor: Power Construction, Bellevue
