There's a sign on the island that Bainbridge Island Fire Chief Hank Teran is excited to take down. Attached to the lobby door of Fire Station 23, it proclaims in bold, red lettering: "THIS STATION IS NOT STAFFED."
Since it was built in 1993, the station has served as a training site and a base for department volunteers, but it hasn't been home to full-time firefighters. Teran will soon be able to take down that sign, as starting Tuesday the Phelps Road station will be staffed by full-time firefighters around the clock for the first time.