FIRE STATION #3 1713 W Indiana Ave

SPOKANE FIRE STATION 3

Spokane Fire Department (SFD) Station 3 is located at 1713 W. Indiana, where is serves the Emerson/Garfield and West Central neighborhoods. This station was one of the prototypical stations and was opened in the fall of 1992.

Station 3’s quarters were previously located at the intersection of Sharp Avenue and Monroe Street. Station 3 houses Engine 3, which has a 500 gallon water tank. Station 3 also houses (1) one of (3) three Alternative Response Units. Station 3 proudly serves the West Central neighborhood with a primary response area north of the Spokane River to Garland Avenue, and from Division Street on the East to the western city limits.

Station 3, along with Station 2, is home to SFD's Water Rescue Team which provides first-response rescue capabilities for all water-related incidents. The Spokane Fire Department Water Rescue Team also responds to emergencies throughout Spokane County in conjunction with the Spokane Valley Water Team and Spokane County Sheriff’s Dive Team. In addition to providing swift water rescue on the Spokane River, the team will respond to ponds, ice, and flooding incidents. Forty highly trained technicians, responding from Station 2, located in the Logan Neighborhood, and Station 3, located in the West Central neighborhood, utilize various equipment, including a jet boat, catarafts, and kayaks, to conduct rescue operations. The Captains of Stations 2 and 3 manage the water rescue team with program administration handled by a Battalion Chief under the Deputy Chief of Operations supervision.

STATION 3 APPARATUS

Engine 3 - 2019 built Pierce Arrow XT PUC. These pumpers are built as compact as possible to deal with the narrow, rough streets of Spokane, carrying 500 gallons of water and nearly half a mile of hose with a 1500GPM pump.
Alternative Response Unit (ARU) 3 - 2017 Chevy Silverado 2500HD and is the busiest rig in the city responding primarily to low acuity calls.
Water 3 is a 19’ long RIB “Rigid Inflatable Boat” with a 200 HP inboard jet drive. It is the only power boat on the Spokane Fire Department. In times of high river flows it allows unparalleled access up and down the river. It is the most capable swiftwater rescue boat in the region and a valuable asset.
Station 3 Captain - Jeremy Morasch

Station 3 Phone - (509) 625-7103

Spokane Fire Administration - (509) 625-7000

FIRE STATION 3 HISTORY

Spokane Fire Station 3 Original: Washington Hose Co. No. 3 on the north side of the River, Courthouse block, circa 1889

Spokane boomed in the 1890s. Mining, timber, agriculture, and transportation fueled the growth of the city, from less than twenty thousand in 1890 to thirty-seven thousand ten years later. A growing city needed enhanced fire protection, and so Fire Station No. 3 was built in 1899.

The building was controversial. The city had just constructed an older No. 3 in 1887-a building that was razed to make way for the county courthouse. Locating the new station became a tug of war between the fire department, city commissioners, and “real estate sharks.” At one point the fire commissioners remarked that the chairman of the relocation committee “is no practical firefighter” for wanting to put the station on a busy carline.

While the new station was being constructed, Chief Frank Winebrenner was not in favor of abandoning the north side altogether. “If they can’t move the old building, I am in favor of building a tent for a temporary station. Anything would be better than nothing at all. The fire department lived in tents in this city once to my recollection.”

First No. 3 station on Monroe and Sharp, wooden sturckture before it became a brick structure. Photo Courtesy of Spokane Public Library, Northwest Room.

The station was able to fit a hose wagon, steamer engine, and five horses with their hay and other apparatus. It was also used to build and maintain fire department equipment, along with police department, and water works equipment. Many of the firefighters designed and built the equipment from scrap and spare parts.

The firefighters slept in the loft while the horses were stabled downstairs in the rear; their harnesses suspended from the ceiling ready to be dropped down on their backs and latched in mere seconds.

No 3's horse bay, circa 1900.
Fire Station #3 Circa 1930

By Caitlin M. Shain, “Spokane Fire Station No. 3: Hoses, Water, and Engines,” Spokane Historical, accessed April 27, 2021, https://spokanehistorical.org/items/show/258.