Ocean Shores officially opens the new South Fire Station
Published 1:30 am Friday, July 24, 2026
The city of Ocean Shores held an event on Thursday to officially open the new South Fire Station.
The well-attended event featured ribbon-cutting, flag-raising, bell-ringing, and a push-in ceremony at the new facility at 345 Marine View Drive SW. The festivities would not have been complete without the hot dog feed, with City Administrator Scott Andersen serving up the summer staple.
The ceremonies began with remarks from Ocean Shores Fire Chief Brian Ritter and Mayor Frank Elduen. Members of North Beach VFW Post 8956 raised the station’s American flag while a bugler played To the Colors. Residents were then invited to “push in” the station’s ambulance and fire engine into their bays. Everyone was then treated to refreshments. Guests were also afforded the opportunity to tour the new facility.
Ritter told the assembled residents, “We’re elated to be here. We’re really excited to get our wheels rolling, I think it’s going to turn into a great thing. I think it’s similar to the walk-in clinic, it’s a start, and it had to start somewhere. It just took a really long time for people to understand how important it is for us to respond the second someone calls 911, and that’s why we’re here.”
During his remarks, Mayor Elduen said, “I thank everybody who showed up here. This was definitely a group effort to get this done. One of my favorite employees told me that I look for a deal at the dollar store. We did some really good shopping here, and I saved the citizens a lot of money getting this set up.”
“I have always felt supported in this community for the fire department. I think it’s been a long time coming. We’re glad to be down here. There’s a lot of hands involved in getting this done. I think we saved the taxpayers a lot of money doing it this way. As our city grows, our staffing needs to grow,” Ritter said. “We talked about every nickel and dime. It possibly could [save residents money on homeowners insurance]. Some insurance honors it, and some don’t.”
“The building, we paid $80,000, which is a super good deal, and I would say construction costs and building all-in $350,000 to $400,000. A new fire station would cost millions of dollars,” said Becky Leach, Ocean Shores project manager. And when it comes to saving the residents of Ocean Shores money with public works projects, Leach says, “We only do what needs to be done. We pay attention; I balance the budgets on my projects weekly.”
“It was important to get a second fire station for the people who live in the south end for response time. It was one of the things the public said they wanted when we had that town hall in January ‘24; this was at the top of the list. Response times are going to be awesome,” Elduen said.
