The last time the Vancouver Fire Department added a new fire station was in 2010. Fire Station 11, which will serve Fire District 5, is now in the works, albeit a little behind schedule.
“My goal was to get the property by 2017, so we’re past that,” said Vancouver Fire Chief Joe Molina.
The Clark County Fire District 5 board approved a $1 million deal in February to purchase property in the state Highway 503 corridor, north of Orchards. The parcel was appraised at $1.44 million. The deal is now less than three months from closing.
The need for a new fire station to serve Fire District 5 was established back in 2013, but Molina said they decided to begin moving forward with the process last year.
“We kind of knew the area we needed to keep an eye on,” he said. “The economy is really booming, and building construction is happening faster than we thought it would in 2013.”