ABOUT
South Bay Fire District 8 is a political subdivision under the laws of the State of Washington authorized and responsible for the delivery of services for the protection of life and property, including fire prevention, fire suppression, emergency rescue and emergency medical response.
We are a volunteer based department serving the areas of Johnson Point, South Bay, Boston Harbor and North Olympia in Thurston County.
1954 – Laying Bricks for original fire hall
What is now known as the South Bay Volunteer Fire Department was formed by a group of neighbors in April of 1953. The concerned volunteers began with 35 members and a loaned 1939 Ford pick-up truck with a pressurized water tank in the back. The school bus barn at the old South Bay School served as the first fire station and volunteers responded to a grand total of 15 fire calls that year.
On January 1, 2015, the North Olympia Thurston County Fire 7 merged into District 8. This was a momentous event that culminated after a long-term effort to consolidate the two fire districts. Today the South Bay Fire Department is made up of over 60 volunteers and staff, administered by a Board of Fire Commissioners. We currently have three paid fire fighters and three paid lieutenants. We also have two District Chaplains. Our district serves over 12,000 residents within its 33 square mile area and our call volume exceeds 1000 calls per year. We have two staffed fire stations in the district, each housing a pumper, water tender and rescue unit. Crews respond from our main station 8-1 and our sub-station 8-3 located in the Boston Harbor area.
For more about our District, please read our Mission Statement, Vision and Goals. You can also view our Strategic Plan and Policies and Procedures. At the May 15, 2014 regular Board meeting, Assistant Chief McBride presented an update on operations and incident readiness and response for Station 8-2. Here is a copy of that report: Staffing update
To better keep our neighbors informed, we send out aCommunity Newsletter several times per year. We encourage attendance at our monthly Board Meetings that are held twice a month on Tuesdays and Thursdays. All meetings are held at Station 8-1.
