Richland Fire & Emergency Services

Richland Fire & Emergency Services (RF&ES) protects the city of Richland, Washington, at the confluence of the Columbia and Yakima rivers in the Tri-Cities. The career department's 94 members respond from six fire stations staffed around the clock, handling fire suppression, emergency medical response and ambulance transport, hazardous materials response, and technical rescue, along with fire inspections, investigation, prevention, and public education. In 2024, crews answered 9,702 calls for service, including 6,670 EMS calls and 170 working fires.

The fleet includes eight structural engines, eight ambulances, two wildland trucks, and a platform truck. The department opened Station 76 in the Badger Mountain South community in 2024 and is planning additional station sites as the city grows. Administration operates out of Station 71 at George Washington Way and Swift Boulevard.

The department traces its roots to 1942, when the DuPont Company began providing fire protection for the federal Hanford Project; General Electric took over in 1947, and the City of Richland established the fire department by charter in 1958. Firefighters are represented by IAFF Local 1052.

Richland hires entry-level firefighters, paramedic/firefighters, and laterals through Public Safety Testing (PST): candidates complete the written exam and online Personal History Statement with PST, pass the CPAT within a year of applying, then apply through the City of Richland careers portal. Paramedic candidates need a Washington State or National Registry Paramedic certification but no fire experience and no written exam. Laterals with three consecutive years of full-time paid experience skip the written exam and CPAT and start at Step F of the pay scale. Per the department, recruitment for January 2027 vacancies begins in spring 2026.