In the spring of 1952, after two destructive fires in the Marietta Village, a group of citizens conceived the idea that having a hose cart in town might be of some value. After looking around and finding a retired engine from Everson the Marietta Fire Department was born.
The Marietta Fire Department was first formed as a company and funded by each property owner paying a “subscription.” In 1957, the fire department formed into a taxing district and became Whatcom County Fire District 8, covering the area north and west of the City of Bellingham.
Whatcom County Fire District 15 was formed on May 24, 1966, when the residents of Gooseberry Point voted 88 to 1 to form the district. Fire District 15 included most of the Gooseberry Point peninsula and the majority of the Lummi Reservation
In June of 1993 Fire District 15 started working jointly with Fire District 8. In 1995 the voters of Fire District 15 voted to merge with Fire District 8 and the two departments have been working as one ever since.
Today Fire District 8 covers 42.3 square miles and has a population of around 9200 people. The department runs three engines, three basic life support ambulances, and one rescue from two stations using a mix of career and volunteer staffing.
Whatcom County Fire District 8 partners with the Lummi Nation to provide fire protection to a large portion of the Lummi Reservation and with the Port of Bellingham to provide fire and emergency medical coverage to the Bellingham International Airport.
