Fire department, union, city spar over Ocean Shores new fire station
Published 1:30 am Wednesday, September 2, 2026
On July 23, the city of Ocean Shores, in conjunction with the Ocean Shores Fire Department, held a gala ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new South Fire Station located at 345 Marine View Drive SW.
However, the station is not yet fully operational.
Last week, the Ocean Shores Fire and Emergency Management Departments took to Facebook to explain why:
“As we work toward officially opening the South Station for service, an electrical item requiring further attention was recently brought forward by the Ocean Shores Fire Department. This item had not previously been communicated to the City during the project and must now be addressed before we can move forward with opening the facility for service.
“The City is actively working to address this final item as quickly as possible while ensuring the South Station is ready to safely and effectively serve our community.
“Once resolved, we look forward to opening the doors and expanding our ability to serve Ocean Shores in a bigger, broader, and more responsive way.”
On Sunday, the Ocean Shores Firefighters Local 2109 posted its views on the issues with the new fire station on Facebook:
“Ocean Shores Firefighters IAFF Local 2109 supports bringing the South Station into service. Our members want this project to succeed, and we believe the community deserves an accurate account of where things stand.
“The Union was not consulted during the planning, construction, or renovation of the station, nor were we approached to review conditions or raise concerns before it was presented as ready. Instead, our members had to independently identify and document significant safety and compliance concerns and bring them forward to the City.
“These safety concerns include the electrical issues referenced in the City’s recent update, as well as mold, air quality concerns, fire safety, access and egress, health and sanitation, and security issues.
“We provided documentation of these issues to the City in writing on July 20 (before the July 23 grand opening). The City chose to proceed with the ceremony despite those concerns not being resolved.
“Unfortunately, staffed operations did not begin that day and the South Station has not been staffed since then.
“Our focus remains on completing the necessary work so that we can better serve our community. We appreciate the progress being made and look forward to celebrating when we can have firefighters safely operating out of the South Station.”
On Tuesday, the city of Ocean Shores delivered this rebuttal:
“The city of Ocean Shores appreciates the concerns raised by IAFF Local 2109 regarding Fire Station 72. The City shares the same fundamental objective as our firefighters: Station 72 must be safe, functional, and ready to support both our employees and the community before it is placed into regular staffed operation.
“The City also believes it is important that the community have accurate and complete information regarding the status of the facility and the concerns that have been raised.
“Throughout the Station 72 project, the City communicated and coordinated with fire department personnel, including the fire chief, fire inspector, and the firefighter/paramedic involved with installation of the station’s communications systems.
“Throughout the Station 72 project, the City included the fire chief in his capacity as the department head and relied upon him as the primary point of communication between the fire department and the City’s project team. This included communicating project information to fire department personnel and IAFF representatives, and relaying concerns or needs requiring City action back to the project manager. Local 2109’s own assessment references fire department participation in Station 72 planning discussions in 2025.
“IAFF Local 2109 provided the City with a detailed pre-occupancy assessment on July 20, 2026, three days before the ribbon-cutting ceremony, identifying a number of items it believed should be addressed before firefighters occupy the station. The union itself described that assessment as observations from walkthroughs rather than a building-code inspection or engineering evaluation.
“The City reviewed those concerns individually and has been actively addressing them. Many of the items identified by Local 2109 were corrected, replaced, installed, inspected, or otherwise resolved, prior to the ribbon-cutting ceremony.
Among the work completed:
The apparatus-bay restroom heater involved in an electrical incident was replaced and inspected by Labor & Industries.
HVAC installation and cleanliness concerns identified during the walkthrough were addressed by the City’s contractor.
The cracked shower enclosure, exterior-door weather seal, and exposed piping/wiring near the apparatus bay were addressed.
The penetration between the apparatus bay and occupied space was addressed, and an exhaust-extraction system is available for connection to the apparatus.
The emergency generator has been installed and tested for proper operation.
The watch-desk lighting issue has been corrected.
A kitchen emergency shutoff has been installed, tested, and approved by Labor & Industries; final integration with the fire department’s communications relay remains part of making that system fully operational.
A new microwave was purchased, restroom fixtures identified as corroded or stained were replaced, and the washing machine was scheduled for service to verify proper operation.
The dishwasher was permanently installed and damaged bedroom blinds were replaced.
Public-access, emergency-contact, and parking-control signage has been installed.
Physical keys have been provided as an alternate means of access in the event of an electronic access issue.
“The requirement for an alarm-activated service disconnect for the fixed cooking appliance was first brought to the City’s attention on July 20, three days before the ribbon-cutting ceremony. The City promptly coordinated with its contractor, and the emergency shutoff switch was installed, tested, and approved by Labor & Industries on August 31. The system is now awaiting installation of the relay switch associated with the fire department’s communications system before it is fully operational. Had the City been made aware of this requirement in a timely manner, the necessary work could have been coordinated and completed prior to the ribbon-cutting ceremony.
“There are also items identified by the firefighters that fall into the category of station equipment, furnishings, technology, supplies, and operational enhancements rather than deficiencies in the underlying construction. The Station 72 list includes such items as computers and monitors, phones, a printer, television and digital dashboard, window coverings, cleaning supplies, restroom supplies, vehicle-washing equipment, and other station equipment.
“Those needs are legitimate parts of putting a new station into service, but they should not all be characterized as unresolved building safety defects.
“The City also wants to address the suggestion that firefighters’ concerns have been disregarded. The record demonstrates otherwise. Concerns brought forward have resulted in contractor work, equipment replacement, additional inspections, new signage, access improvements, testing, and other corrective actions. The City will continue addressing legitimate outstanding items as the station moves toward full operational readiness.
“The City recognizes that there may be disagreement regarding particular items, including whether existing appliances should be replaced rather than cleaned, serviced, and evaluated. Local 2109 has requested replacement of all existing kitchen and laundry appliances and bathroom fixtures. The City will continue evaluating those requests based on condition, safety, operational need, applicable requirements, and responsible stewardship of public f