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in: Defunct fire departments of Thurston County, Washington, Former operators of HME Ahrens-Fox apparatus, Former operators of Pierce apparatus

Thurston County Fire Protection District No. 4

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About[]

Thurston County Fire Protection District No. 4 was colloquially referred to as Rainier Fire District 4 and Rainier Fire Department, not to be confused with the municiapal Rainier Fire Department formerly operated by the City of Rainier.

Area Served[]

Thurston County Fire Protection District No. 4 provided fire protection and life safety services to approximately 5,000 residents across a 35-square-mile area in and around the City of Rainier, Washington. Located in the southeastern part of Thurston County, the district's jurisdiction included the unincorporated lands surrounding the City of Rainier, the McIntosh Lake community, and the sparsely populated farming community of Vail. Located in the foothills of the Cascade Mountain Range, the district served a variety of forested areas, rolling hills, agricultural land, alongside several major throughfares, including sections of State Route 507 and Rainier Road.

History[]

On September 9th, 1952, a Special Election was held to determine if Thurston County Fire Protection District No. 4 should be formed. The votes were cast in favor of forming the district, with 312 votes in favor of and 20 votes against the formation of the district. The district was officially formed on September 29th, 1952. Upon it's formation, the district served 27mi2 of land.

The City of Rainier began contracting services from the district around 1990.

In February of 1996, the Rainier Town Council approved a $350,000 lease purchase of 2 new Freightliner / Pierce engines. The lease was done through the Town rather than through the Fire District as the district's tax income was not high enough to qualify for the lease.[1] The funds also allowed for both of the 1977 White / FD-Built tenders to be upgraded from 1,000 gallon tanks to 2,500 gallon tanks. Around the time the new Freightliner / Pierce engines were delivered, the district was responding to ~500 calls annually.

In 2004 Rainier Fire District 4 & Bald Hills Fire District 17 consolidated with Yelm Fire District 2, forming S.E. Thurston Fire & EMS, which amalgamated the 3 districts into 1 acting agency, though all 3 still existing in legal capacity in terms of filing for bonds, electing commissioners, proposing tax levy lifts, ect.

In July of 2008, the Boards of Fire Commissioners for Thurston County Fire Protection District No. 2 (Yelm) and Thurston County Fire Protection District No. 4 (Rainier), and Yelm City Council members signed an interlocal agreement for the purpose of pursuing the formation of a Regional Fire Authority.[2] This committee then placed a measure for the formation a S.E. Thurston Regional Fire Authority (RFA) on the August 18th, 2009 Primary Election ballot, which was rejected by voters with a combined total of 1663 "yes" votes and 1675 "no" votes.[3] Soon after, the committee again placed a measure for the formation of the RFA on the February 9th 2010 Special Election ballot, which voters approved in favor of creating a Fire Authority, with a combined total of 2,070 "yes" votes and 2,019 "no" votes.[4] This authority was formed on July 1st, 2010[5] and named the S.E. Thurston Fire Authority.

Annexations[]

Year Area Size (mi2) Notes
1972 Vail 8 Annexed by petition. Annexation was effective on August 28, 1972.[6]
1975 McIntosh Lake 1 Proposed to be withdrawn from Fire District 4 and annexed into Fire District 2.[7] Breifly approved in 1975 before being rescinded as both districts were able to serve the area equally well, with Fire District 4 planning to construct a station at the lake.
1999 City of Rainier 1.5 Annexed by election (See: "Elected Measures").
2007 McIntosh Lake 2.5[8] Annexed by petition. Annexation was effective of July 31, 2007.[9]

Elections[]

Measure Type Purpose Election Date Votes Pass / Fail Notes
Excess Levy - $5,100 Facilities Sep. 09, 1958[10] 154 "Yes" ; 37 "No" Pass Used to make improvements to Fire Station 41.
Excess Levy - $4,800 - Facilities & Apparatus Facilities & Apparatus Sep. 13, 1960[11] 87 "Yes" ; 47 "No" Pass Used to make payments on the new Western States engine, to purchase miscellaneous equipment, and make improvements to Fire Station 41.
Excess Levy - $6,900 - Payments & Equipment Payments & Equipment Sep. 11, 1962[12] 112 "Yes" ; 18 "No" Pass Used to make payments on the new Western States engine, and to purchase miscellaneous equipment.
Excess Levy - $5,000 - Equipment Equipment Sep. 21, 1964[13] 132 "Yes" ; 29 "No" Pass Used to purchase miscellaneous equipment.
Excess Levy - $6,500 - Payments & Equipment Payments & Equipment Sep. 20, 1966[14] 107 "Yes" ; 20 "No" Pass Used to make payments on the new Western States engine, and to purchase miscellaneous equipment.
Excess Levy - $7,300 - Payments & Equipment Payments & Equipment Sep. 17, 1968[15] 169 "Yes" ; 44 "No" Pass Used to make payments on the new Western States engine, and to purchase miscellaneous equipment.
Excess Levy - $6,490 - Facilities Facilities Sep. 19, 1972[16] 101 "Yes" ; 75 "No" Fail Used to improve Fire Station 41 and perform general maintenance.
Excess Levy - $29,000 - Facilities & Apparatus Facilities & Apparatus Sep. 18, 1973[17] 60 "Yes" ; 33 "No" Pass Used to construct Fire Station 42.
Excess Levy - $29,000 - Facilities & Apparatus Facilities & Apparatus Feb. 04, 1975[18] 130 "Yes" ; 74 "No" Pass Used to construct Fire Stations 42 and 43.
Excess Levy - $65,492 - Apparatus Apparatus Nov. 02, 1977[19] 100 "Yes" ; 111 "No" Fail Intended to purchase a new Engine 41.
Levy Lid Lift Operations Nov. 02, 1977[20] 145 "Yes" ; 75 "No" Pass
Excess Levy - $48,000 - Apparatus Apparatus Feb. 07, 1978[21] 138 "Yes" ; 28 "No" Pass Used to purchase a new Western States engine.
Bond - $300,000 - Equipment Equipment Nov. 03, 1992[22] 613 "Yes" ; 214 "No" Pass Used to purchase miscellaneous equipment.
Levy Lid Lift Operations Nov. 07, 1995[23] 236 "Yes" ; 411 "No" Fail
Annexation Annex the City of Rainier Nov. 02, 1999[24] 574 "Yes" ; 152 "No" Pass Approved the annexation of the City of Rainier into Fire District 4.
Bond - $600,000 - Apparatus Apparatus Nov. 05, 2002[25] 906 "Yes" ; 388 "No" Pass Used to purchase a new HME engine.
Levy Lid Lift Staff Nov. 02, 2004[26] 846 "Yes" ; 1027 "No" Fail Intended to provide funds to hire additional volunteers.
Levy Lid Lift Staff Sep. 19, 2006[27] 472 "Yes" ; 505 "No" Fail Intended to provide funds to hire additional volunteers.
Levy Lid Lift Staff Aug. 21, 2007[28] 553 "Yes" ; 342 "No" Pass Provided funds to hire additional volunteers.
Merger RFA Creation Aug. 18, 2009[29] 507 "Yes" ; 464 "No" Fail Intended to allow Fire Districts 2, 4, and the City of Yelm to merge under a Regional Fire Authority.
Merger RFA Creation Feb. 09, 2010[30] 745 "Yes" ; 618 "No" Pass Allowed Fire Districts 2, 4, and the City of Yelm to merge as S.E. Thurston Fire Authority on July 1, 2010.


Fire Stations[]

Station Number Station Name Address In Service Notes
41 Rainier 102 Dakota Street South, Rainier 1954-2005 Built by the Town of Rainier to house the Rainier Fire Department, Rainier Town Hall, and Fire District 4. The Town Hall moved to a new site in 1990, leaving Fire District 4 as the sole occupant. The district purchased the building from the Town in 2006 as the Town didn;t want to pay for its demolition, which was required when the station on 133rd Avenue was completed.
41 Rainier 12506 133rd Avenue SE, Rainier 2006-2010 Former Thurston County gravel pit, land sold to the district in 1999.[31] Fire Station 41 was a volunteer station until 2009 when a 1,750 square foot modular building was added in late 2009, as call volumne analazations showed that staffing should be reprioritized from the Lake Lawrence station to the Rainier station.
Became S.E. Thurston Fire Authority Station 24.
42 McIntosh 14847 Military Road SE, McIntosh 1977-2006 Fire Station 42 was built on land purchased from the Weyerhaeuser Logging Company for $500 effective on 5/19/1976.[32] Opened 9/1/1977 as a volunteer staffed station until the mid 1990's when a modular building was constructed on site allowing for volunteer resident staffing until 2006 when the modular building on site was demolished and the station was closed due to a lack of volunteers.
Became S.E. Thurston Fire Authority Station 25.
43 Vail 17044 Muskrat Drive SE, Rainier 1978-2007 Fire Station 43 was built in 1978 on land purchased from Jack P. Shipley for $1 effective on 10/16/1973.[33] 2 additional apparatus bays were added in 1984,[34] as many volunteers lived in the Vail area, so having more apparatus would improve services. Closed prior to merger due to lack of volunteers to staff the station. This station briefly saw used a storage facility for the district prior to it being leased out privately to the neighboring garage door company.
Became S.E. Thurston Fire Authority Station 26.

History Map[]

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Apparatus[]

All pump/tank measurements are in US gallons.

2004 HME Ahrens-Fox Spectr pumper (1500/1000) (Ex-Engine 41)
2003 Ford E-450 / North Star ambulance (Ex-Aid 41) (Ex-Thurston County Medic One, acquired 2008)
1996 Freightliner FL 70 / Pierce Responder pumper (1250/750) (SN#EA189-02) (Ex-Engine 43)
1996 Freightliner FL 70 / Pierce Responder pumper (1250/750) (SN#EA189-01) (Ex-Engine 412, ex-Engine 42)
1994 Ford ambulance (Ex-Aid 41)
1983 brush (Ex-Brush 41)
1982 utility (Ex-Utility 41)
1978 Ford F-800 / Western States pumper (1000 front-mount/1000) (SN#840) (Ex-Engine 412, ex-Engine 41)
1978 Ford E-350 ambulance (Ex-Thurston County Medic One, acquired 1982)
1977 White Road Boss 6x4 / 1993 FD-Built wetside tanker (500/2500) (Ex-Tender 42) (Chassis purchased 1993)
1977 White Road Boss 6x4 / 1993 FD-Built wetside tanker (500/2500) (Ex-Tender 43) (Chassis purchased 1993)
1977 Ford F brush (Ex-Brush 43)
1968 Jeep M715 brush (Ex-Jeep 41)
1965 International / Western States pumper (750/750) (Ex-Engine 43, ex-Engine 42) (Ex-South Bay Fire Department (Washington))
1959 Ford F-750 / Western States pumper (750/1000) (Ex-Engine 42, ex-Engine 41) (First new apparatus, purchased for $15k)
1952 GMC M211 / FD-Built tanker (Ex-Tender 41) (Ex-US Military, acquired ca. 1970) (Sold 1993?)
194? Dodge WC-54 4x4 ambulance (Ex-Aid 43) (Retired 1982)
193? tanker
1924 Ford pumper (Retired 1959)

External Links[]

References[]

  1. ↑ Rainier may consider leasing two fire trucks. The Olympian. Feb. 13, 1996 (Page 17). Newspapers.com.
  2. ↑ Interlocal Agreement To Form a Fire Protection Service Authority Planning Committee Between SE Thurston Fire/EMS and The City of Yelm. Accessed May 7, 2024.
  3. ↑ Primary Election Results, Thurston County Election Archive. Accessed Aug. 7, 2023.
  4. ↑ Special Election Results. Thurston County Election Archive. Accessed Mar. 21, 2023.
  5. ↑ Washington State Auditor’s Office (2011). Thurston County Fire Protection District No. 4 (Rainier Fire Department) Accountability Audit Report. Report #1006924 (Page 7). November 3, 2011.
  6. ↑ Board of County Commissioners (1972). Resolution #4406. Laserfiche Weblink.
  7. ↑ Board of County Commissioners (1975). August 4, 1975 Meeting Minutes (Page 1). Laserfiche Weblink.
  8. ↑ Thurston County Auditor's Office (1999). November 2, 1999 Primary Election Results (Page 5). Thurston County Election Archive.
  9. ↑ Thurston County Auditor's Office (2007). Thurston County Fire District #4 Resolution #2007-05 (File #3946856). Recorded Jul. 31, 2007. EagleWeb.
  10. ↑ County Jail Project, Fire District Funds Approved By Voters. The Olympian. Sep. 10, 1958 (Page 1). Newspapers.com.
  11. ↑ Proposition No. 1. The Olympian. Sep. 08, 1960 (Page 11). Newspapers.com.
  12. ↑ Proposition No. 1. The Olympian. Sep. 04, 1962 (Page 6). Newspapers.com.
  13. ↑ Proposition No. 1. The Olympian. Sep. 08, 1964 (Page 12). Newspapers.com.
  14. ↑ Proposition No. 1. The Olympian. Sep. 13, 1966 (Page 10). Newspapers.com.
  15. ↑ Proposition No. 1. The Olympian. Sep. 09, 1968 (Page 12). Newspapers.com.
  16. ↑ Proposition No. 1. The Olympian. Sep. 13, 1972 (Page 17). Newspapers.com.
  17. ↑ Proposition No. 1. The Olympian. Sep. 12, 1973 (Page 8). Newspapers.com.
  18. ↑ Proposition No. 1. The Olympian. Jan. 29, 1975 (Page 9). Newspapers.com.
  19. ↑ Proposition No. 1. The Olympian. Nov. 02, 1977 (Page 27). Newspapers.com.
  20. ↑ Proposition No. 2. The Olympian. Nov. 02, 1977 (Page 27). Newspapers.com.
  21. ↑ Proposition No. 1. The Olympian. Feb. 01, 1978 (Page 3). Newspapers.com.
  22. ↑ Thurston County Auditor's Office (1992). November 3, 1992 General Election Voters Pamphlet (Page 17). Thurston County Election Archive.
  23. ↑ Thurston County Auditor's Office (1995). November 7, 1995 General Election Voters Pamphlet (Page 26). Thurston County Election Archive.
  24. ↑ Thurston County Auditor's Office (1999). November 2, 1999 General Election Voters Pamphlet (Page 20). Thurston County Election Archive.
  25. ↑ Thurston County Auditor's Office (2002). November 5, 2002 General Election Voters Pamphlet (Page 22). Thurston County Election Archive.
  26. ↑ Thurston County Auditor's Office (2004). November 2, 2004 General Election Voters Pamphlet (Page 16). Thurston County Election Archive.
  27. ↑ Thurston County Auditor's Office (2006). September 19, 2006 Primary Election Voters Pamphlet (Page 18). Thurston County Election Archive.
  28. ↑ Thurston County Auditor's Office (2007). August 21, 2007 Primary Election Voters Pamphlet (Page 13). Thurston County Election Archive.
  29. ↑ Thurston County Auditor's Office (2009). August 18, 2009 Primary Election Voters Pamphlet (Page 12). Thurston County Election Archive.
  30. ↑ Thurston County Auditor's Office (2010). February 9, 2010 Special Election Voters Pamphlet (Page 6). Thurston County Election Archive.
  31. ↑ Thurston County Building Department (1999). Project Narrative. Thurston County Fire District #4 (Page 9). Laserfiche Weblink.
  32. ↑ Thurston County Auditor's Office (1976). Warranty Deed (File #974461). EagleWeb.
  33. ↑ Thurston County Auditor's Office (1973). Statuary Warranty Deed (File #900104). Eagleweb.
  34. ↑ Thurston County Building Department (1984). Permit 24054-B. Issued Mar. 22, 1984. Laserfiche Weblink.

Station Map[]

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