History -

West Benton Fire & Rescue is a combination Career/Volunteer fire department. The City of Prosser and Benton County Fire District 3 have enjoyed a unique and successful joint Fire/EMS service relationship since the 1950's. By combining their financial, staffing, facility and fleet resources, there is significant evidence of effective and efficient operations for Prosser Fire District 3 and there is evidence that the joint operation has been able to provide a level of service to each jurisdiction that would not be possible on their own.

As with most public partnerships, there are always predictable shifts in policy, participation and proliferation of services. These shifts result in the need to re-evaluate and "re-tool" the relationship in order to keep up with the various growth and demand factors in each jurisdiction.

Such was the case with the City of Prosser and Benton County Fire District 3; West Benton Fire & Rescue is the result of those changing demands and the recommendations of the Prosser Citizens Task Force.

We are a combination fire department consisting of volunteer firefighters and three paid staff, operating out of two stations providing service to 13,000 residents covering 176 square miles of urban, rural, and agricultural land. Our department also provides ILS (Intermediate Life Support) medical response, structural fire response, wildland fire suppression and various rescue operations including swift water. The Chief and Captains provide code enforcement, fire prevention and public education with support from our volunteer firefighters. We are very proud of our member's commitment and dedication to this department and the community to whom they serve.