MATTAWA — Friday was an exciting day for members of Grant County Fire District No. 8. The district broke ground on a new fire station.

The new station will be located off Highway 243 at 20643 Road 22.5 SW and will replace the main fire station in downtown Mattawa.

“The contractors are coming in this week and starting the ground work,” said David Patterson, fire chief for Grant County Fire District No. 8. “It is slated to be done by the middle of February. We will take possession and move in March 2021.”

The fire district is paying for the new building with funds it has been saving for the past 25 years.

“They have been really frugal with their money,” Patterson said. “It’s been a long process. We’re finally there.”

Grant County Fire District No. 8 has six paid staff members and approximately 30 volunteers. They cover 248 square miles and have close to 700 calls a year. In addition to the main fire station, they have two satellite stations. One is in Desert Aire and the other is east of Mattawa.

The new fire station is being built northwest of town on Mattawa Port District land. The current fire station has already been sold to help finance the new building.

“We’re currently leasing it back,” Patterson said.

Once the new building is complete, the fire department will be able to get more equipment. The district has 24 pieces of fire and ambulance equipment. The new main fire station will have five double deep bays.

“The new station will be bigger than this one,” Patterson said. “It will be able to accommodate more vehicles. They can be longer and bigger.”

In addition to fire services, the district operates its own ambulance service. Because of the length of time that it takes to travel from Mattawa to nearby hospitals, one call for service can last up to three hours, according to Patterson.

“With us being remote like this, we don’t do rendezvous with other ambulance services because we’re so far out,” Patterson said.

Typically, the district has two to three fire and ambulance calls a day.

With the opening of the new building, the district will also be able to start a resident firefighter program, which will help fill personnel needs the district has.

“The new building will have residents’ quarters,” Patterson said. “It will give young guys an opportunity to get their feet wet in fire service.”