The Siletz Valley Fire District has secured just over $1 million in federal funding and finalized a key land deal with the City of Siletz, clearing the way for a new fire station annex, an eventual on-site ambulance, and a fully certified community evacuation shelter.

Fire Chief Lapoff said the district has been working with Congresswoman Hoyle’s office and Senator Merkley’s office for almost two years to secure the funding. The district was awarded $1,015,000. The money will be used to build a new annex or second station behind the existing Siletz fire station.

Once the new building is complete, the plan is to move all equipment and apparatus into the annex and remodel the current station into a large training and community meeting room that can also function as a certified evacuation center. A qualify as an official shelter, the remodeled station will have to meet State Fire Marshal requirements, including sprinklers, special alarms and other safety features. The improved facility is intended to handle the kinds of recurring events Siletz sees almost every year, such as windstorms and ice storms, as well as more severe weather events.

The upgraded station is expected to offer short-term housing for two to three days in most cases, with the ability to support people for longer stretches during major emergencies. Plans call for a commercial kitchen, emergency generator power, showers, heat and other amenities. Shelter supplies such as mats or cots, bedding and consumables are not part of the federal grant and will be acquired later, likely a year and a half to two years from now, once construction is complete.

A crucial piece of the project was the land under the fire station. Since the mid-1980s, the district has owned the building but leased the land from the City of Siletz for one dollar a year. For the district to pursue federal grants, it needed to own the property outright. City officials said they were initially reluctant to sell because the city does not own much land and does not want to give any of it up without good reason. However, as discussions continued, it became clear the fire district would not be able to apply for most of the grants it was seeking unless it became the landowner.

The city had the property valued by a local real estate agent and ultimately agreed to sell it to the fire district for far less than market value, with payments spread over several years. Officials described the sale price as roughly a fifth or less of what the property was worth. They stressed that the goal was not to make money off the parcel but to avoid simply giving it away while also not overburdening the fire district.

What helped tip the decision was the potential to base a transport ambulance in Siletz. City leaders pointed to recent incidents where residents suffered medical emergencies and had long waits for ambulance transport. They said having a transport-capable ambulance and personnel on site in Siletz could significantly reduce response and transport times and, in some cases, might make the difference in outcomes for patients in this remote area.

Recent emergencies have also underscored the need for a reliable local shelter. During a severe freeze a couple of years ago, Siletz was without power for about five days, and officials described it as a rough time for the community. The remodeled station is expected to serve as a safe, powered place for people to go during outages, storms, wildfires and other disasters, as well as a training and meeting space in normal times.

As part of the land and building discussions, the city and fire district also agreed to add a small “kick-out” space on the new station facing the adjacent field near the library, where the city holds car shows and other community events. That area is intended to function as a serving and barbecue space that the city can use for community gatherings or emergency feeding operations. City officials say they see the new facilities as a resource not only for Siletz, but also for nearby communities such as Toledo and for regional partners, including the tribe and local schools. The city has already used its fields and facilities to help during past fires and freezes and hopes this project will strengthen its ability to respond and cooperate across the region.