Clark-Cowlitz Fire Rescue Builds New Station in Ridgefield

0:00Clark, Cowlitz, Fire Rescue is gearing up to build a new station in Ridgefield to match the area's rapid growth and speed-up emergency responses. The 14,000-square-foot facility will go up on a vacant lot near South-World Road in third-way, right by the rough-sourced supermarket. It's budgeted at $11 million to $12 million, all covered by a voter-approved Fire-Levy lid, lived from last year. No extra cash from, taxpayers down the line. This spot west of Interstate 5 is a smart play to hit downtown and West Ridgefield faster. Right now, crews from Eastern Station struggle to meet targets in these booming zones, but the new setup should shave two to three minutes off those. Crucial Times Chief John Nor highlighted how they shuffled land deals to make it happen. They sold a two-acre plot on South Hillhurst Road to the city for $310,000, then tapped a $2 million mitigation deal to lock in this prime location. Voters back the funding, showing strong community support for better safety.

1:02Once open, the new station takes over frontline duties with a ladder truck and EMS Medic Unit right near residential spots. Station 21, the current headquarters, shifts to Admin Central. IEDA Architects from Battleground is handling the design. This move keeps Fire crews ahead of Ridgefield's expansion curve, ensuring quicker life-saving help where it counts most. That's your update from Vancouver News today, powered by AI. I'm Corey with The Story.