Following its approval in August 2014 to continue studying the “dual station” model to maintain Fire Station 25 in the Finn Hill Neighborhood at its current location and build a new station in north central Kirkland city limits, the City Council directed the further evaluation of two properties located in the Juanita Neighborhood on Northeast 132nd Street.

The “dual station” model provides faster and more reliable fire and emergency medical response to more residents.

The City Council considered six sites at its November 18, 2014 meeting and expressed consensus to further study the parcel located at 10007 NE 132nd Street, the current site of a church, and 9820 NE 132nd Street, the current site of the Rite Aid. Both sites provide for four-minute emergency response travel time within city limits, offer dual means of egress to adjacent streets, and the availability of existing utilities (e.g. water, sewer, and electricity).

In the coming months, the city will host public outreach opportunities to engage Juanita and Finn Hill Neighborhood residents, schools, and businesses about the two potential sites on Northeast 132nd Street and the benefits of the new station.

To request a presentation, contact Marie Jensen, Communications Program Manager at 425-587-3021 or mjensen@kirklandwa.gov.

Analysis shows that the two sites provide improved response time to the northwest area of the City, in addition to areas to the west, east, and south. A new fire station located at either of the two properties would respond to calls that would otherwise be responded to by Fire Stations 27 (Totem Lake), 25 (Holmes Point), and 21 (Forbes Creek).

The Rite Aid site could offer two possible options: using a portion of or all of the parcel.

As part of the siting analysis, more than 20 sites have been considered.  The cost of a new fire station would depend on the programmatic and functional needs of the building and the cost of property. Current estimates range from $7.5 million to $11.9 million. There is a $5.2 million set aside toward a new fire station.  Additionally, the city’s proposed 2015-2016 Budget includes an additional $3 million toward the completion of a new north end fire station. However, in order to fully fund the new station, it will be necessary for the city to sell the Fire Station 24 building and identify other funding sources that may include issuing debt or tapping reserves. The volunteer Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) which have been based out of Fire Station 24 will be reassigned to the city’s Fire Corps program beginning January 1, 2015.

The Kirkland Fire Department Strategic Plan, adopted in 2013, identified several response time gaps, including north Finn Hill which prompted a Standards of Coverage and Deployment Plan. The Coverage Study identified the option to build and staff a new fire station (replacing Fire Station 24), while maintaining Fire Station 25 by redeploying existing personnel. The city’s short term plan is to move forward on this concept.  The Deployment Plan recommends that in the long-term, the city move Fire Station 27 to the east side of I-405 to address a coverage gap in the northeast area of Kirkland.