BRIEF: Lake opens its 25th fire station in Umatilla

March 02--Lake County Fire Rescue opened its 25th full-time firehouse, Station 20, in Umatilla, adding 19 more firefighters to its ranks in February.

The new station, on State Road 19 just south of the city, operates round-the-clock.

"Citizens will not only benefit from faster calls for service from Station 20, but may also receive reduced fire insurance rates by having this fully-operating station within five miles of their home or business," Lake County Fire Chief Jim Dickerson said.

Lake County was awarded a U.S. Department of Homeland Security grant for $1.7 million grant last year to create 15 new positions and fill four vacancies.

Lake firefighters responded to more than 21,500 calls across the county in 2015.

In early February, the county graduated and hired 19 probationary firefighters and will use some of the new hires to help staff three outlying stations.

Lake Fire Rescue now deploys a minimum of 62 staff members per shift, with 213 firefighters total.

"The residents of Dona Vista and south Umatilla now have a fire station staffed 24/7 which provides fire suppression and advanced life support services," Dickerson said.

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