Oak Harbor Fire Department expands with new station, ladder truck, staffing changes

A kitchen fire, a rollover on Swantown Road or a cardiac call in southwest Oak Harbor could now meet crews a lot sooner. Fire Chief Travis Anderson says Oak Harbor Fire Department’s goal is to reach emergencies within five minutes of dispatch, and the department has spent the past year building toward that target with a new station, a new ladder truck and staffing changes.

The department serves 9.7 square miles and an estimated 24,700 people, answers about 1,600 emergencies a year and has provided service in Oak Harbor since 1929. It remains a combination fire department with one station staffed around the clock by career firefighters, and it backs that coverage with mutual and automatic aid agreements with Island County Fire District No. 2, Island County Fire District No. 5, WhidbeyHealth and Naval Air Station-Whidbey Island Federal Fire Department. City data show why the overhaul was needed: the coverage area grew from 3.4 square miles to 9.7 square miles, call volume rose 91%, population grew 43% and the number of homes increased 51% since the current station was built in 1990. About 25% of residents were outside target response times, and the southwest area’s 7- to 8-minute response time was no longer acceptable.

Station 82, built in the city’s southwest area at 1250 Swantown Road, is meant to put crews closer to the neighborhoods that have pushed the city’s emergency map outward. The roughly 7,300-square-foot station includes decontamination areas, individual sleeping quarters and training and fitness space, along with a vehicle exhaust extraction system in the apparatus bay. City construction updates say the building was deliberately designed with a residential look so it blends into the neighborhood.

The new ladder truck is another major change. City officials say it is the only ladder truck operated by a civilian department on Whidbey Island, a significant addition in a city where firefighters need to handle house fires, rescues and medical calls across mixed neighborhoods and different building heights. The department also has a paramedic unit in planning and development, part of a broader effort to strengthen the medical side of its work as crews continue to serve as first responders on many calls.

The overhaul also changes how firefighters live and work. Station 82 gives crews more room to train, recover and stay ready for long shifts than the older Station 81 on East Whidbey Avenue, which replaced a smaller SE Barrington Drive station in 1992 when the department was much smaller and more volunteer-based. The project was funded by voter-approved measures from the November 8, 2022 General Election, with operating expenses for Station 82 supported by a levy lid lift of about 67 cents per $1,000 of assessed value. A push-in ceremony for the ladder truck was held April 11 at Station 81, and the city has scheduled a grand opening and pancake breakfast for Saturday, June 6, 2026.