On Saturday, officials with Snohomish County Fire District 1, south county’s largest fire agency, plan to celebrate the opening of the district’s new 20,000-square-foot headquarters and training facility. The building replaces overcrowded and outdated facilities. We asked district spokeswoman Leslie Hynes to explain how fire and emergency response will improve with the new building.
Why build a new headquarters?
Hynes: The old offices were designed in the mid-1980s to house administration and training rooms for a three-station fire department with fewer than 30 employees. Today’s fire district has eight stations and employs more than 180 people. We had as many as three people working in offices designed to hold one person. It was time to move.
What’s new?
Hynes: We finally have enough office space and room to conduct classroom training sessions right here in the district. We’ve completed phase one of a three-phrase project. Phase two will develop drill grounds with a training tower and other multi-purpose props. The final phase will be additional remodeling to allow for concurrent training sessions. Local training will improve the response capability of the district’s firefighters.
How much did it cost?
Hynes: The district bought the building from Verizon for $4.5 million using money raised in a voter-approved bond issue. Construction on the remodel began in March 2006. The initial remodel cost $2.6 million. Phase two could cost as much as $1 million. Officials haven’t budgeted phase 3 yet.
What’s planned for Saturday?
Hynes: Tours of the building, fire-equipment demonstrations, free health checks and fire-safety information.
Join the festivities
Snohomish County Fire District 1 plans to celebrate its new headquarters and training building with an open house from noon to 2 p.m. Saturday, 12425 Meridian Ave., Everett. For more information, call 425-551-1200.
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