On March 9, 2024, Central Whidbey Island Fire & Rescue celebrated the grand opening of the renovated and expanded Station 53 in Coupeville, located at 1164 Race Road. Funded primarily by a $5 million voter-approved bond from 2017 and a $2.75 million grant secured with help from state legislators, this 13,000 sq. ft. facility replaces the much smaller old station by over 4,000 sq. ft.

Designed with improved crew safety, it includes:

• A separate fitness room and an apparatus bay outfitted with a diesel-exhaust extraction system.
• Six bathrooms and a negative-pressure gear-washer room to remove carcinogens from turnout gear and personnel
• Dedicated clean-gear storage away from exhaust and UV-light harm
• Crew quarters with an integrated kitchen – previously all housed offsite
• Seven private offices, a conference room, and a training room that also serves community group meetings

Station 53 is dedicated to emergency responders and the citizens and businesses they protect.

Work commenced on this project in the fall of 2022 and continued through 2023. View the photo gallery below to see how Station 53 came to life!