Mill Creek officials, residents press South County Fire over medic moved from Station 76

At a special July 29 meeting of the Mill Creek City Council, South County Fire officials explained a recent redeployment that moved medic 76 from Station 76 to Station 21 and reduced Station 76's minimum on-site crew from five to three, drawing sharp questions from council members and residents about notice and service levels. The council did not take a vote; the session was a public presentation and Q&A.

City leaders and residents said the staffing change felt sudden and inconsistent with the council's understanding at annexation. Resident Dan Surns told the council the move reduced local capability in a neighborhood that contains a school bus stop and cited speed and cut-through traffic as ongoing safety risks. Council members said they and the public learned about the redeployment from residents rather than through department outreach and described the lack of prior local engagement as unacceptable.

South County Fire officials said the change was part of a 15-year organizational planning effort and a broader effort to "uncross-staff" stations across the regional fire authority, with the stated goal of raising station reliability across the network. Chief Bob Eastman (introduced to the council as the department chief) told the council that the RFA's leadership…