A fire hall expansion and the addition of dorm rooms will more than double the number of firefighters able to respond to emergencies in rural southern Benton County. Benton County Fire District 6 voters approved a sales tax increase in 2015 so the district could hire two more full-time firefighters and add 2,000 square feet to the station. The station was built in 1983 in Paterson, near the Oregon border. Fire Chief Rolland Watt was the only paid professional working around the clock for the 270-square-mile district. The district was averaging 2.8 volunteers per emergency call before the measure was approved. Two more salaried employees and new dorms allow four volunteers to stay overnight at the hall.