Built in 2002, Bellingham Fire Department Station 2 sits on the corner of 1590 Harris Ave. The original Station 2 was located just down the street in Fairhaven, at 1314 Harris Ave. It featured a Mission style building designed by local architect F. Stanley Piper in 1927. When the new Fire Station 2 was built in Happy Valley, the old fire station was turned into a cafe that features an art and events center. The Bellingham Fire Department provides staffing to Whatcom County Fire District 8. Partnered with Lummi Nation, the WCFD8 serves over 9200 people.

Description and Images: Charlie Elliott

The Bellingham Fire Department invited community members to a “push-in” ceremony for a new fire engine at Fire Station 2, 1590 Harris Ave, at 2 p.m., Nov. 13, 2024. At the ceremony, attendees helped push the engine into the station. This was a scheduled replacement of an older fire engine. After the event, the Firefighter’s Benevolent Association provided coffee and snacks. The push-in dates to the 1800s, when crews unhitched horses to push equipment into the stations. As firefighting equipment became motorized, the need to manually move equipment disappeared, but the tradition remained.

Video: Charlie Elliott