North Bend and Fire District No. 38 both signed onto a seven-year agreement with Eastside Fire and Rescue. After several months of negotiation, the contract recently reached its final form. District 38 approved the agreement July 13; North Bend signed on July 17. Fire Protection District 10 is scheduled to vote on the agreement next month. Sammamish and Issaquah approved an earlier version and will soon be voting on a copy of the revised contract.

The sticking point was how to split the cost of the fire station in North Bend, which services the city and surrounding District 38.

“There was a lot of compromise on the part of all parties involved,” said Duncan Wilson, North Bend administrator.

In the end, the decision boiled down to a desire to provide the best service to area residents at the best price, Wilson said. He said the city considered other alternatives – such as starting its own department or contracting with Snoqualmie – but was unable to maintain the same level of service without increasing costs.

“The most important thing to all of us is the quality of service that we get,” said North Bend City Councilmember Chris Garcia.

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