Oak Harbor plans June 6 grand opening for new Fire Station 82

A free pancake breakfast and shuttle rides between two fire stations will mark Oak Harbor’s public introduction to Fire Station 82, the new southwest-area base city leaders say will put crews closer to neighborhoods that have waited too long for a rig.

The grand opening is set for Saturday, June 6, from 9 a.m. to noon. The city says the celebration will be free and open to the public, with the main gathering at Fire Station 81 and shuttle service running to Fire Station 82. Parking and pancakes will be at Station 81, and the city’s event calendar lists the location as Fire Department, 855 E. Whidbey Avenue in Oak Harbor.

Visitors will be able to tour both stations, watch live demonstrations, climb on touch-a-truck equipment, play hands-on games, visit community partner booths and meet local firefighters. Oak Harbor partnered with the Oak Harbor Chamber of Commerce on the event, turning the open house into a practical look at how the department works and where the new building fits into daily service.

That is the real point of the day. Fire Station 82 is Oak Harbor’s second fire station, built for the city’s southwest area and designed to move firefighters closer to growth on North Whidbey. City materials say the station is about 7,300 square feet, roughly one-third the size of Station 81, but built with modern features that affect how crews live and work, including individual sleeping quarters, decontamination areas, and training and fitness space. The building is a Type V-B, wood-framed, two-story station with full sprinkler protection.

The station matters because response time is not an abstraction in a fire or medical call. Oak Harbor Fire Department has served the city since 1929, and city documents say studies in 2005 and 2016 found that 25% of residents lived outside target response times and recommended a second station and more staffing. Levy materials say calls for service have increased 91% while the number of firefighters responsible for answering them increased by only 2. The city’s levy FAQ said the average response time in 2021 was 5 minutes, 21 seconds, and officials said 7- to 8-minute response times to the southwest area were not acceptable.

Voters approved the fire protection levy lid lift and general obligation bonds on Nov. 8, 2022, with the levy passing with 60% of the vote and the bonds with 62%. The Fire Service Levy is funding the building and operation of Station 82, increased minimum staffing, a replacement 24-year-old engine, a Quint truck, and protective gear and tools. Operating expenses are covered by a levy lid lift of $0.67 per $1,000 of assessed property value, turning the June 6 celebration into a public look at where that vote went and what it changes the next time someone in Oak Harbor dials 911.