SMOKEY POINT — There’s not a new sheriff in town, but there will be new firefighters.
Starting Oct. 1, the Arlington Fire Department will officially begin providing fire and emergency medical assistance to Smokey Point when it opens its new fire station on Smokey Point Boulevard.
The station, known as Fire Station 48, will provide the same level of service area residents are used to, fire personnel said, with one main difference — the name of the city on the vehicles.
The Arlington department will take over for the Marysville Fire District, which had provided service to the Smokey Point area for the past 10 years.
The new facility is not a permanent location for the Arlington department — the city is leasing the space on 18824 Smokey Point Blvd. with hopes that it can someday build a brand new station in the Smokey Point area, said Chris Badger, fire department spokesperson.
“A new station would have cost us about $3.6 million,” Badger said. “We’ve only spent about $250,000 on this new space for modifications, so in a way it’s a substantial cost savings.”
City and department staff will be hosting an open house on Oct. 5 from 5:30-6:30 p.m. for local businesses and residents to check out the new station and meet firefighters who will be servicing the area.
“The city has committed to providing direct service in this area and opening this station is the first step to honoring that commitment,” Arlington Fire Chief Jim Rankin said. “This station is the visual emblem of the city and fire department working together.”
In addition to the new building, the fire department has brought on four new positions, two of which will be mostly paid for by a FEMA grant.
The SAFER (Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response) will pay for a percentage of the two affected positions.
Those new positions will help the department cover its newly expanded coverage area, Badger said.
The new staff will not exclusively cover Smokey Point. They will be incorporated into the entire department’s rotating shift schedule, meaning each of the department’s three stations would make use of the new staff members, Badger said.
The city will pick up the staff compensation once the grant runs out, Rankin said.
Firefighters will be available at the new station 24 hours a day.
A new Arlington fire station has been in the works since 2006, when the City Council voted to assume full responsibility for providing emergency medical and fire protection services in Smokey Point.
In order to provide the service, the Council had to authorize construction of a new fire station, which was not available at this time due to city budgetary constraints, according to city documents.
Despite those setbacks, Badger said fire department staff have worked extremely hard to get the new fire station up and running.
“Across the board, they’ve done a great job,” Badger said. “They’ve really gone out of their way.”
City of Arlington spokeswoman Kristin Banfield said the city is looking forward to providing fire service to Smokey Point.
“We really want to make this area ours and work with the local community,” Banfield said. “We’re excited to be located here.”
For more information on the open house, visit www.arlingtonwa.gov or call 360-403-3600.
