Washington County Fire District 2

Last updated
Washington County Fire District 2
Washington County Fire 2 crest.JPG
Operational area
CountryFlag of the United States (23px).png  United States
State Flag of Oregon.svg  Oregon
County Washington
Agency overview
Established1952
Dissolved2017

Washington County Fire District 2 (WCFD2) was a special-purpose government fire fighting and emergency services district in Washington County on the west side of the Portland metropolitan area of Oregon. Established in 1952, it primarily provided fire and emergency medical services in the central portion of the county surrounding Hillsboro, including the city of North Plains. The District had two fire stations when it was absorbed by Tualatin Valley Fire and Rescue in 2017.

Contents

History

The district was established in 1952 as the Hillsboro Rural Fire Protection District. [1] In 1964, the district sued the county to recover $1,281 for fighting a fire at the county's dump, but the district eventually lost at the Oregon Supreme Court. [2] Volunteers built a temporary station in 1966 off Brookwood Avenue on the eastern edge of Hillsboro. [3] In the 1970s the headquarters for the district were in Orenco. [4] By 1973 the name was changed to Washington County Fire District 2. [5]

In 1981, the city approved plans for a new fire station off Brookwood, which became the Drake Lane Station that later became part of the Hillsboro Fire Department (HFD). [3] [6] Neighboring Fire District 1 (now Tualatin Valley Fire and Rescue) gave WCFD2 a used tanker truck in 1984, and at that time WCFD2 was the largest in the county covering 150 square miles (390 km2). [7]

WCFD2 signed a five-year contract with Hillsboro in July 1987 that moved eight paid fire fighters from the district to the HFD and consolidated operations to where both forces responded to emergencies in both territories. [8] The agreement also called for HFD to relocate an engine company from the city's Parkwood Station to the district's Orenco Station, which it did in July 1988 after annexing Tanasbourne. [9] At that time, the district had four fire stations: North Plains, Orenco, Brookwood, and Midway. [10] The next year WCFD2 considered consolidation with the then new Tualatin Valley Fire and Rescue, who maintained the district's equipment. [11] The district sought consolidation, but not a merger, after continuing to lose territory to annexations. [11]

Plans started in 1991 to replace the Midway fire station that was built in the 1950s. [12] WCFD2 built the new station directly south of the prior one, building it over four-years to spread the construction costs over several tax years. [12] [13] The district sent firefighters in August 1994 to help fight wildfires around Leavenworth, Washington, along with other firefighters in the county. [14] WCFD2 had only three paid firefighters as of 1995, with 30 volunteers at each of the two stations. [15] In 1997, WCFD2 contracted with the Hillsboro Fire Department for the latter to provide administrative support for the district, [16] which allowed the district to have four paid fire fighters. [17] Those duties include inspections, education, maintenance, and training. [18] In 2002 District 2 hired Dennis England as fire chief, who remained until October 2012. Upon his retirement, the chief of the Hillsboro department again became the acting chief of WCFD2. [16] [18] In February 2015 the board of directors contracted for the services of an Interim Chief, Jim Stearns, who reports to the district's board.

Fire station in North Plains opened in 1998 North Plains Oregon fire station.JPG
Fire station in North Plains opened in 1998

The district opened a new fire station in North Plains in February 1998 on Northwest Commercial Street paid for by a $750,000 bond passed in 1996. [19] At the time the station had just two paid fire fighters along with 30 volunteers. [19] The old station, built about 1951, had been damaged by the Spring Break Quake in 1993. [13] The new station is 12,000 square feet (1,100 m2) and can house up to eight apparatus in the four equipment bays. [13]

The Midway station handled 497 calls in 2001. [20] In 2002, the district used donations to purchase a thermal-imaging camera. [21] The district was involved in possible merger discussions or coordination in training and purchasing in 2005 with all of the fire departments in the western part of the county. [22] However, none of the departments merged. The district ended its two-year contract with Hillsboro for administrative services in February 2015. [23] On September 1, 2015, a new contract with Tualatin Valley Fire and Rescue (TVF&R) started with that agency taking over administrative functions and talks of a possible annexation of the district into Tualatin Valley Fire and Rescue. [24] On November 8, 2016, voters in the district voted to merge into TVF&R, [25] with the merger completed as of July 1, 2017. [26]

Apparatus and stations

Fire station at Midway Fire station - Midway, Oregon.JPG
Fire station at Midway

WCFD2 had two fire stations at the time it merged into TVFR. [19] The main station was located in downtown North Plains, which was Station 17 and included administration for the district. Station 19 was located south of Hillsboro in the unincorporated community of Midway along Oregon Route 219. [19]

Organization

The district was governed by a five-person board of directors and led by a fire chief. [18] The district stretched from the Multnomah County line on the north all the way to the border with Yamhill County on the south, passing between Cornelius and Hillsboro. [27] It wrapped around Hillsboro with some unincorporated areas on the east side of Hillsboro in the district. [27] Communities in the 122-square-mile (320 km2) district were North Plains, Helvetia, parts of Rock Creek and West Union, Laurel, Midway, Farmington, and Scholls. [27] [28]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beaverton, Oregon</span> City in Oregon, United States

Beaverton is a city in the Tualatin Valley, located in Washington County in the U.S. state of Oregon, with a small portion bordering Portland. The city is among the main cities that make up the Portland metropolitan area. Its population was 97,494 at the 2020 census, making it the second most populous city in the county and the seventh-most populous city in Oregon. Beaverton is an economic center for Washington County along with neighboring Hillsboro.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cedar Mill, Oregon</span> Unincorporated community in the state of Oregon, United States

Cedar Mill is a suburb in the Portland, Oregon metropolitan area of the United States; it is a census-designated place and an unincorporated community in Washington County, north of U.S. Route 26 and west of the Willamette Stone. It received its name from a sawmill on Cedar Mill Creek, which cut Western Redcedars that were once the dominant tree in the area. The mill's pond was near the intersection of 119th and Cornell Road, and could still be seen into the 1960s, although the mill itself had ceased operating in 1891. The name was established in 1874 with the opening of a U.S. post office named Cedar Mill. As of the 2020 census, the community population was 17,259.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hillsboro, Oregon</span> City in Oregon, United States

Hillsboro is a city in the U.S. state of Oregon and is the county seat of Washington County. Situated in the Tualatin Valley on the west side of the Portland metropolitan area, the city hosts many high-technology companies, such as Intel, locally known as the Silicon Forest. The population was 106,447 at the 2020 census, making Hillsboro the fifth-most populous city in Oregon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rockcreek, Oregon</span> Unincorporated community in the state of Oregon, United States

Rockcreek is a census-designated place in Washington County, Oregon, United States, north of U.S. Route 26. It is named for the Rock Creek neighborhood in the area. As of the 2010 census, the CDP population was 9,316. Named for Rock Creek, a tributary of the Tualatin River, that flows north to south through the neighborhood.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Orenco station (TriMet)</span> Light rail station in Hillsboro, Oregon, United States

Orenco is a light rail station in Hillsboro, Oregon, United States, served by TriMet as part of the MAX Light Rail system. It is the seventh station eastbound on the Blue Line and the third station eastbound on the Red Line, situated between the Quatama and Hawthorn Farm stations. The two-track, island platform station serves the Orenco Station neighborhood, which is considered a model for smart growth and transit-oriented development. It features a 125-space park and ride, a bike and ride, and connections to TriMet bus route 47–Baseline/Evergreen and Ride Connection's North Hillsboro Link.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Orenco, Oregon</span> Neighborhood in Washington County, Oregon, United States

Orenco is a former company town in Washington County, Oregon, United States, located between Hillsboro and Aloha. The former community of Orenco now forms the Orenco neighborhood in Hillsboro, which is the site of the Orenco Station housing development.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oregon Route 219</span> State highway in northwestern Oregon, US

Oregon Route 219 is an Oregon state highway which runs between the cities of Hillsboro and Woodburn, Oregon, in the United States. The Hillsboro-Silverton Highway continues further south to Silverton, signed as OR 214. The highway mainly serves local residents and agricultural traffic, despite its proximity to the Portland area it lies outside the Portland Urban Growth Boundary, and maintains its character as a country road.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hillsboro School District</span> School district in Oregon, United States

The Hillsboro School District 1J is a unified school district located in Hillsboro, Oregon, United States. The district operates 26 elementary schools, four middle schools, and four high schools. Founded in 1851, the school district covers Hillsboro, Scholls, Reedville, North Plains, West Union, and other area communities. Total enrollment as of the 2019–2020 school year is 20,269 students, the fourth largest in the state.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George W. Ebbert</span>

George Wood "Squire" Ebbert was a mountain man and early settler in the Oregon Country. Born in Kentucky, he settled on the Tualatin Plains in what became Oregon and participated in the Champoeg Meetings that created a government prior to the formation of the Oregon Territory. During the Cayuse War he traveled with Joseph Meek across the Rocky Mountains to ask Congress for assistance with the war.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tualatin Plains</span> Region in Oregon, United States

The Tualatin Plains are a prairie area in central Washington County, Oregon, United States. Located around the Hillsboro and Forest Grove areas, the plains were first inhabited by the Atfalati band of the Kalapuya group of Native Americans. Euro-American settlement began in the 1840s.

Cornelius Pass Road is an arterial road in the Portland metropolitan area of Oregon, United States. The north–south road serves as an arterial connection between Burlington and Hillsboro. It intersects with several main roads and highways throughout its route, including Oregon Route 10, Oregon Route 8, Cornell Road, and U.S. Route 26.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oregon Nursery Company</span>

The Oregon Nursery Company was a nursery company founded and originally operated in Salem, Oregon, United States. The company later expanded to a site in Washington County, Oregon west of Portland. The entire operation was eventually moved to Washington County, where the company founded the town of Orenco. The company went bankrupt in 1927. Its legacy is the Orenco place name that is still widely used in the Hillsboro area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tualatin Valley Academy</span> Private school in Hillsboro, Washington County, Oregon, United States

Tualatin Valley Academy (TVA) is a preschool through eleventh grade private school in Hillsboro, Oregon, United States. They plan to move to a full twelfth grade program in fall 2025. Founded in 1916 as Tualatin Valley Junior Academy, the school is affiliated with the Seventh-day Adventist Church. TVA was affiliated with the Ring of Fire handbell choir from its inception in 1997 until 2004.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rood Bridge Park</span> Public park in Hillsboro, Oregon, US

Rood Bridge Park is a municipal park in southeast Hillsboro, Oregon, United States. Opened in 1999, the park encompasses 60 acres (24 ha) on the north bank of the Tualatin River at its confluence with Rock Creek. Rood Bridge is near Hillsboro High School and sits across the river from Meriwether National Golf Course. The park is the city's largest, and contains tennis courts, a meeting facility, trails, a canoe launch, and a rhododendron garden among other features.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dilley, Oregon</span> Unincorporated community in the state of Oregon, United States

Dilley is an unincorporated community in Washington County, Oregon, United States. It is located south of Forest Grove and north of the city of Gaston on Oregon Route 47 in the Portland metropolitan area. Settled in the late 1840s, the community was platted in 1874 after the arrival of the railroad.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Witch Hazel, Oregon</span> Neighborhood in Washington County, Oregon, United States

Witch Hazel is a neighborhood of the city of Hillsboro in Washington County, Oregon, United States. Formerly an unincorporated community, and considered a separate populated place by the United States Geological Survey, it is on the Tualatin Valley Highway and the Southern Pacific railroad line a mile (1.6 km) west of Reedville.

Tualatin Hills Park & Recreation District (THPRD) is a special parks district located in the eastern part of Washington County in the U.S. state of Oregon. Created in 1955, the district covers all of the city of Beaverton and many of those communities surrounding Beaverton in the Portland metropolitan area. The district covers an area of 50 square miles (130 km2) and serves a population of about 220,000, making it the largest parks district in Oregon. Tualatin Hills operates over 200 facilities totaling 2,100 acres (850 ha), including eight swimming centers. The district has an annual budget of $40 million and is overseen by a five-person board of directors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hillsboro Fire Department</span>

Hillsboro Fire & Rescue is the municipal fire department for the city of Hillsboro in the U.S. state of Oregon. Founded in 1880, the department operates five stations with six companies. The department has 123 members and is led by Chief David Downey.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tualatin Valley Fire and Rescue</span> Regional fire district in Oregon

Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue (TVF&R) is a special-purpose government fire fighting and emergency services district in the Portland metropolitan area of Oregon. Established in 1989 with a merger between Washington County Fire District 1 and the Tualatin Rural Fire Protection District, it primarily provides fire and emergency medical services in eastern Washington County, but also provides services in neighboring Multnomah, Clackamas, and Yamhill counties. It serves unincorporated areas along with the cities of Beaverton, Tigard, Tualatin, West Linn, Wilsonville, and Sherwood, among others. With over 450 firefighters and 28 fire stations, the district is the second largest fire department in the state and has an annual budget of $197 million.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cornell Road</span> Street in Portland and Washington County, Oregon, United States

Cornell Road is an east–west street and traffic corridor in the Portland metropolitan area, in Multnomah and Washington counties in the U.S. state of Oregon. It crosses the Tualatin Mountains between the Willamette Valley and the city of Portland on the east and the Tualatin Valley and the city of Hillsboro on the west.

References

  1. ↑ "History". Hillsboro Fire & Rescue Volunteer Firefighters. Retrieved 27 March 2014.
  2. ↑ "Court Denies Service Fee". The Oregonian. Associated Press. May 14, 1964. p. 17.
  3. 1 2 Lund, Diane (March 10, 1981). "Fire station plan met with wash of criticism". The Oregonian. p. MetroWest 4.
  4. ↑ "Emergency network use urged". The Oregonian. January 11, 1977. p. B7W.
  5. ↑ "House blaze kills 6 dogs". The Oregonian. February 8, 1973. p. 14.
  6. ↑ "Fire station OK'd". The Oregonian. March 31, 1981. p. MetroWest 2.
  7. ↑ Cargill, Linda (December 11, 1984). "District puts spark in aging tanker". The Oregonian. p. MW1.
  8. ↑ Hill, Jim (November 19, 1987). "Hillsboro, Fire District 1 consider pact". The Oregonian. p. West Zoner 1.
  9. ↑ "Fire engine company moves to Orenco". The Oregonian. July 13, 1988. p. West Zoner B4.
  10. ↑ Steineger, Melissa (February 27, 1987). "Hillsboro fire pact approved". The Oregonian. p. E3.
  11. 1 2 "Spreading fire district continues its growth, Tualatin Valley Fire mulls improving ties with other districts". The Oregonian. October 24, 1989. p. West Zoner B2.
  12. 1 2 Goetze, Janet (September 2, 1991). "New rules advocated for towers". The Oregonian. p. B2.
  13. 1 2 3 Colby, Richard N. (April 30, 1996). "Fire District 2's burning desire". The Oregonian. p. B2.
  14. ↑ staff (August 2, 1994). "Washington County sends fire crew to Leavenworth". The Oregonian. p. West Zoner B2.
  15. ↑ Colby, Richard N. (March 9, 1995). "Three board posts up for grabs in rural fire-protection district". The Oregonian. p. West Zoner 6.
  16. 1 2 Frank, Ryan (July 18, 2002). "Dennie England says he's leaving Fire Department". The Oregonian. p. West Zoner B2.
  17. ↑ Bodine, Harry (May 16, 1997). "Hillsobor Fire Chief adds district to duties". The Oregonian. p. West Zoner B2.
  18. 1 2 3 Frank, Ryan (October 18, 2001). "Vacant position of fire chief creates dilemma for Gaston". The Oregonian. p. West Zoner 14.
  19. 1 2 3 4 Colby, Richard N. (February 4, 1998). "North Plains firefighters move up, in". The Oregonian. p. West Zoner E2.
  20. ↑ Frank, Ryan (November 14, 2002). "Rising emergency calls overload volunteer firefighters". The Oregonian. p. West Zoner 8.
  21. ↑ Frank, Ryan (September 26, 2002). "North Plains buys high-tech camera with donations". The Oregonian. p. West Zoner 10.
  22. ↑ "Community Snapshot: Fire officials will discuss possibilities for merger". The Oregonian. February 15, 2005. p. B2.
  23. ↑ Gregory, Roger (February 11, 2015). "Washington County Fire District 2, Hillsboro Fire agree to end contract". The Oregonian. Retrieved 13 February 2015.
  24. ↑ Alteir, Nuran (September 10, 2015). "Washington County Fire District 2 gets new chief from Tualatin Valley Fire". The Oregonian/OregonLive. Retrieved 10 September 2015.
  25. ↑ Pursinger, Geoff (November 8, 2016). "Fire District 2 to join TVF&R". Hillsboro Tribune. Retrieved 12 November 2016.
  26. ↑ Howard, John William (June 22, 2017). "North Plains, rural communities to officially join TVF&R". Hillsboro Tribune. Retrieved 6 July 2017.
  27. 1 2 3 "County Bridges & Fire District Boundaries" (PDF). Department of Land Use & Transportation. Washington County. Retrieved 27 March 2014.
  28. ↑ "Information". About. Washington County Fire District 2. Retrieved 27 March 2014.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.