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East Pierce Fire & Rescue says new Milton station, faster response times coming online
Summary
East Pierce Fire & Rescue presented its 2024 activity, staffing and capital plans to the Milton City Council, describing improved response times since the new Milton station was staffed and plans for another station, training facilities and a logistics lease.
John Park, representing East Pierce Fire & Rescue, told the Milton City Council on July 16 that the district ran “just over 13,000 incidents” across its service area in 2024 and that the new Milton station has reduced travel time to incidents inside the city.
The district serves Milton and neighboring jurisdictions and, Park said, has roughly 198 full‑time employees and will staff eight stations once the coming station opens. “Within the city of Milton, in 2024, you had 1,462 incidents within city limits,” Park said, adding that the department typically sends more than one unit per response.
Park walked the council through the fire district’s funding and capital plans: the district’s 2025 operating budget is “just shy of 49,000,000” (as stated in the presentation), funded entirely by local levies – a fire levy, an EMS levy and a voter‑approved bond levy. He said reusing a station prototype will save engineering costs and that the district closed on a parcel the prior Friday to site a new station in Milton with three garage bays and six dorm rooms.
Park also described other near‑term projects: a planned training center on roughly five acres north of Foothills Elementary, a logistics lease in a 200,000‑square‑foot warehouse to centralize vehicle maintenance and support, and construction work on a fifth station in Prairie Ridge. He said the district’s 90th‑percentile travel‑time goal is 8 minutes 30 seconds and that Milton’s recent data shows a 90th‑percentile travel time of 7 minutes 38 seconds since the new station was staffed.
Council members asked about project timelines and funding. Park estimated roughly 15 months to build a facility of the prototype size after permitting and said the projects discussed are funded within the district’s current levies and bond authority. Park directed residents to the district’s newsletter and PulsePoint feed for incident information.
The presentation concluded with council questions about station access and public‑education offerings such as car‑seat installation assistance. Park said residents can contact district headquarters to arrange certified car‑seat checks or referrals if financial help is needed.
The council did not take formal action on the presentation; it served as an informational update to the council and the public.
