Grays Harbor Fire District 5 is renting some space at the Elma Fire Hall. The facility use agreement, allowing the arrangement, was approved at the June 13 Elma City Council meeting.

According to the agreement, District 5 has use of a kitchen area, bathrooms, laundry facilities, training room, a storage area, a bedroom/office space and a training room. The lease runs through December 31, and will automatically be extended on a one year term. District 55 will pay the City of Elma $200 for the limited use of the fire hall facility.

Both the Elma Fire Chief, Tyson Boling, and District 5 Chief, Dan Prater, said the arrangement between the two departments was going well.

District 5 Battalion Chief, Adam Fulbright, moved his office into the Elma Fire Hall about two weeks ago, Prater said. Fulbright is a paramedic with his own command vehicle, equipped with a heart monitor and other advanced life support gear, and can respond to emergencies within the City of Elma within minutes.

“It has improved our service to the City of Elma,” Prater said. “Instead of being six minutes away (at the District 5 station on Stamper Road) from downtown, we are able to get a paramedic on scene quicker.”

Prater said his goal as fire chief had been to improve relationships between the departments. The Elma Fire Department and District 5 had a similar arrangement in the past but District 5 left the Elma fire hall. This was about eight years ago and prior to his tenure as chief.

Currently, Prater said, all the fire departments in east Grays Harbor County are working well together, including District 1, the City of McCleary, City of Elma, District 12 and District 5.

Elma Fire Chief Boling said the arrangement was going well with District 5 holding training at the Elma station’s training room, and providing a combined training for both departments.

“It’s a ‘help-help’ situation for all concerned,” Boling said.