Manson Fire Department celebrates 75 years of service

MANSON – New Year’s Day 2025 marks a significant milestone for the Manson Fire Department as it celebrates 75 years of dedicated service to the community.

In 1948 Manson residents presented a petition to the Chelan County Commissioners to form a fire district, Manson Fire Chief Arnold Baker said. 

Baker said the commissioners put the measure on the ballot in 1949, and the district was officially formed on January 1, 1950.

In 1950, the Manson Fire District secured land, now known as the Alta Cellars Winery site, from Lakeshore Land Fruit Growers for $1, with the condition that it would be resold for the same price if vacated. Using bond funds, the district built its first fire station and purchased a fire truck, laying the foundation for its operations.

The original building had two truck bays. A third bay was added in 1961.

That got the fire department “open for business,” Baker said.

“They got the building, the truck and it all came together pretty quickly,” he said. “Nowadays, it takes a lot more time.”

The station moved to its current location around 1974. 

In 1972, the Federal Bureau of Reclamation undertook a major irrigation project for the North Shore of Lake Chelan, covering 6,600 acres. During the construction, the bureau built a building to serve as office space, space for the Water District, and a library. 

When the irrigation project was complete the fire station moved into the building, which is its current location on Manson Boulevard.

“It's very small, you know, by today's standards, but it was a lot more room back in the 70s,” Baker said. “And the original rent was $300 a month, including all the utilities and everything. It was a heck of a heck of a deal.”

In 1994, the department purchased a 1.2-acre property on Wapato Lake Road to build a second station. In 1995, the department built a station on the property and purchased a new fire truck. In 2018, they bought an additional 3.3 acres.

With the passage of the new fire levy in 2024, the department will expand at the Wapato Lake location, hopefully this year, Baker said. 

Plans for the expansion include resident quarters for 12 at the training center and a classroom.

The downtown fire station cannot be staffed 24/7 because it does not have sleeping quarters or the space to add them. So future growth will be focused at the Wapato Lake Rd. location. 

“Wapato Lake Road is actually the very center of the fire district,” Baker said. “So it's a really good location. But a very unique thing about the fire district five in Manson is all the residents in the fire district are within five miles of both stations. And that five mile is a big thing with the state.”

The volunteer fire department has grown from the original eight volunteers to around 40 people. Currently, there are only three staff members, but Baker hopes to add more in the future.

Manson Fire marked the anniversary at their September Awards Banquet with 75th-anniversary shirts for all members, past and present. 

The department strives to maintain a good culture through remembering their primary purpose of delivering service to the citizens, Baker said.

“It's not an internal culture, as much as it's a culture of being here for the citizens,” he said. “They understand that, and they, you know, as being volunteers, that's exactly what they wanted to volunteer for. So it's worked out really well to kind of keep folks focused and motivated.”

Baker has been the fire chief for 27 years and is the seventh chief. Of the six previous chiefs, he is related to most of them.

The first Manson Fire Chief was not related to Baker when he became chief.

“The first chief was not my uncle, but after being fire chief for one year, he ran off and married my aunt,” he said. “So became my uncle. Second chief was my uncle. There's been six previous fire chiefs, and I'm related to five of them.”

“It's been a good career and been, you know, a lot of growth that's happened in these last years,” Baker said. “And we've got a great staff of officers and we're adding one more in January.” 

Covering an 18.5-square-mile service area with a population of approximately 3,600, Manson Fire District 5 provides a range of services, including fire suppression, basic life support, emergency medical transportation, technical rescue, and hazardous materials response.

Quinn Propst: 509-731-3590 or quinn@ward.media.