NORTH WHIDBEY: Fire District buying land for new facilities

Luisa Loi reports from the North Whidbey Fire and Rescue District’s board meeting of Tue., May 13, 2025 for the Whidbey News Times. Read the whole story.

North Whidbey Fire and Rescue is in the process of purchasing a property to build a new training facility and a fire station.

Tuesday, the board of commissioners voted unanimously to move forward with the purchase of the 9.39-acre timberland, which is owned by the Department of Transportation.

The property is located on Ault Field Road, next to the Island County Road Shop, according to Chief Chris Swiger. It comes with a price tag of $410,000, a cost the fire department will cover with reserve funds, he said.

They Said It

The plan is to close and sell Station 25, located at 2720 Heller Road, and develop the new property to build a new Station 25 to move the administrative offices into, Swiger said.

“Hopefully within three to five years we can get a fire station put on it,” he said.

While a design and timeline still need to be discussed, a new training facility might be added at the same time or later on, Swiger said. The department would need to get a bond approved, he said, adding that the board and the chiefs are already discussing potentially going out for a levy to fund staff increases or equipment, or both.

“Right now, I couldn’t even tell you how much we would have to go out for, with the prices of everything fluctuating so much,” Swiger said.

The current Station 25 was built in the 1960s and served various purposes over the years until the department purchased it in 1992 and turned it into a fire station, adding some features to accommodate fire engines and other equipment, he said.

At one point it even housed the department’s headquarters, which are now located in the building at 770 Northeast Midway Boulevard in Oak Harbor. Now, Station 25 continues to serve as a fire station and the place where the board meets the second Tuesday of every month, but it’s “in pretty bad shape,” Swiger said, adding that the land might be worth much more than the structures themselves.

On the Ballot in November 2025