On the November 6, 2007 general election ballot, the citizens of the Benson Hill/Cascade area voted to annex into the City of Renton. That meant that Fire District 40 had a difficult decison to make because 37% of their service area would be transferred to the City of Renton on March 1, 2008.

Could District 40 reasonably sustain just one fire station? Could the remaining taxpayers afford a one-station Fire District? Could (or should) the District contract with the City of Renton to provide fire and emergency service to the remaining (unincorporated) area?

The decision was not easy - the loss of 37% of the District's taxing authority and the likely loss of additional areas in the future would severely hamper the District's ability to maintain the current high level of service that citizens expect and deserve. After thoroughly examing the situation, the Board of Commissioners finally decided that it was in everyone's best interest to contract with the City of Renton for fire and emergency services.

The negotiated contract insures an equitable sharing of costs between both the City of Renton and District 40 - and it actually increases the staffing level assigned to the Fairwood area. The Fairwood fire station will now have a fully staffed Aid Unit and a 4-Person Fire Engine. But best of all, most of the firefighters you recognize from our community are still here if you ever need their services.