WEST RICHLAND, Wash. – Benton County District 4 is celebrating the reopening of Station 410, which promises to enhance firefighting capabilities in West Richland. The station is expected to provide faster access to hard-to-reach areas during critical times.
Deputy Chief Dan Drayton emphasized the importance of reopening the station. “Being, quicker out the door, quicker to the scene, makes a huge difference in cardiac arrest survival rates as well as keeping fires small, limiting damage, and getting, into buildings to put out the fire and get occupants out makes a difference and saves lives,” Drayton said.
Station 410 originally opened in 1977 but shut down in 2020 due to staffing shortages. Drayton explained the benefits of reopening the station, stating, “It allows us to try to catch those grass fires and those brush fires quicker, or if it’s moving too quickly to be able to get into a position where we can start protecting structures and allow us to do more with our on duty crews.”
The station will be equipped with a variety of first responder vehicles, including an ambulance, a fire truck, a new grass truck, and a water tender. “We will staff out of this station, an ambulance, a fire truck, a new grass truck, which is a type five wildland engine. And we have a water tender at the station. So that crew is considered a jump crew. And whichever vehicle is needed for the call is the one that they will take out of this station,” Drayton explained.
To prepare for the reopening, crew member feedback was taken into account for upgrades. Drayton shared, “One of the things that we did in preparation for opening this station was get feedback from all the crew members who were going to be living in this station and asking, what? What are some of the things that need to be upgraded? And we’re thankful that we have the funding to be able to do that this year.”
The station is set to be fully operational with a complete staff on Saturday, June 14. Drayton noted the improved response times, adding, “Being back in this station allows us much quicker access to the end of Harrington Road. Allows us quicker access to, section of Van Giesen, which, neither station can neither the other stations can, get to quite as quickly as this.”
