Fire districts grow amidst rising population, homes, and needs in county
Travis Bateman
Special to The Farmer
One noticeable change to the skyline or street level view of every town in our county with exception to Grassy Butte is that of new or improved fire stations and apparatus.
Through donations, county funds, fundraising, or a combination thereof, each fire district is sporting new or improved buildings and most have one or several new vehicles.
Station to Station
Arnegard Rural FD’s new station built in 2019 and from 5 apparatus to 11 since 2019. The ARFD also maintains an EMS Quick Response Unit (QRU) that allows for a more rapid response of medical aid in the district. By state regulations, they cannot transport patients, but the ambulance platform provides for a controlled environment and overall better setting for patient care until the ambulance arrives.
The Alexander Rural Fire Department expanded into a larger station in the City of Alexander and also built a substation in Homesteader’s Gap that houses several brush trucks in the southwest portion of the county.
McKenzie Rural Fire District built a new station 14 miles north of Watford City, the Twin Valley station, to better serve the Tobacco Gardens area and northern portion of the district. The station is near 118th Avenue and North Dakota Highway 1806.
The Watford City Volunteer Fire Department shares a station in Watford City with McKenzie Rural and houses the city-owned vehicles there, including a tower/ladder truck purchased in 2014 at a cost of $1 million, the first such apparatus for any department in the county. Plans are currently in a planning the phase to building another structure next to the current station in the middle of Watford City. Contingent upon purchase of some homes and lots that are currently in the path of any new build.
To the Yellowstone River Valley and Cartwright area, the Sioux-Yellowstone Fire District built in-part with the Cartwright community, a substation within a joint structure that also serves as the community hall at North Dakota Highway 200 and County Road 16.
McKenzie Rural Fire District-Keene just completed construction of a new station on the southern outskirts of Keene that will greatly aid the department in both its fire and EMS response capabilities and much needed leg room to house what the fire service has become in 2026.
Fairview, Montana that also serves the Yellowstone River Valley in northwest McKenzie County, constructed a new and large station in 2018. Likewise for the Sidney, Montana Fire Department that services an area of southwest McKenzie County as well. Their new station was completed in 2017.
For the full story, visit www.watfordcitynd.com and subscribe to the McKenzie County Farmer today!