The West Thurston Regional Fire Authority and the Chehalis Tribe have signed a contract for emergency services and, as a result, the fire authority has reopened its Albany Street Fire Station.
West Thurston Regional Fire Authority (WTRFA) announced the contract and reopening of the station in a news release last week.
“While our partnership spans many decades, WTRFA and the Chehalis tribal representatives took the opportunity recently to engage in building our relationship to the next level,” the fire authority said in the news release. “Looking into the future, the strong partnership developed between WTRFA and the Chehalis Tribe will enhance our ability to address some of the funding challenges we are experiencing as a result of the recent levy failures in 2022.”
West Thurston closed its Albany Street, Maytown and Scott Lake stations in December 2022 after the fire authority’s four-year maintenance and operations levy proposal failed on the November ballot.
The West Thurston Board of Commissioners is considering a levy lid lift for the August 2023 primary ballot to address funding issues, according to the news release.
“A levy lid lift will resolve some funding challenges we face in the short term by simply maintaining current staffing and capabilities as they exist,” the fire authority said in the news release. “To further address this challenge, the district is committed to building up its volunteer program to supplement our workforce through incentives, stipends and other value-added benefits.”
