Valley Regional Fire Authority is moving ahead on a multi‑site capital facilities program after voters approved a capital facilities bond, Fire Chief Bridal Thompson said.

Thompson credited Deputy Chief Tim Day with leading the capital facilities plan and said the bond will fund three new fire stations and a new headquarters. Thompson said VRFA recently purchased a former Cascade Orthopedics medical center to serve as the new headquarters, and that the authority has broken ground on Station 36, located on 30th Street north between Auburn Way North and I Street Northeast. He said the new station will relieve pressure on Station 31 and better serve growth in North Auburn.

Thompson said a future station will replace the current shared facility with Pacific Police Department and that VRFA purchased property on Ellington for a new Pacific/Algona station. He said the projects are being built to current seismic codes and that, when complete, VRFA will operate six stations plus a headquarters building.

Ending: Thompson said construction and facility work will take time and that the authority is focused on building resilient, seismically up‑to‑date facilities and a new training and maintenance campus.