The Puget Sound Regional Fire Authority could be coming soon to a neighborhood near you.
It’s the same Kent fire department, but with a new name.
Starting Jan. 1, the Kent Fire Department Regional Fire Authority name will go away to be replaced by the Puget Sound Regional Fire Authority.
The RFA board approved the name change at its Wednesday meeting to give the department a name that reflects its regional reach. The fire authority serves Kent, Covington, SeaTac and Fire District 37.
“What the name change will look like and the cost still needs to be determined based on the work of the branding committee,” said Capt. Kyle Ohashi RFA spokesman, in a Thursday email.
The details about whether the new name would be used on vehicles and stations in Kent and SeaTac has yet to be decided. Kent and SeaTac each use city names on its vehicles despite being part of the RFA. Those details will be worked out over the next several months, Ohashi said.
“As we continue to grow regionally, the (Kent) name no longer fully represents who we are,” Ohashi said earlier this month about the reason for a change.
The city of SeaTac signed a 20-year contract with the Kent RFA in 2014 to provide fire services. Voters in Kent, Covington and Fire District 37 approved the formation of the RFA in 2010 when it split off from the city of Kent.
The agency initially used the name of Kent Fire Department before later adding Regional Fire Authority.
The RFA is funded by a property tax as well as a fire benefit charge against each property owner based on how much fire response it would take to combat a fire at a specific residence or business.
Three members of the Kent City Council (Bill Boyce, Les Thomas and Dennis Higgins) and three members of the Fire District 37 board sit on the RFA board. The cities of Covington and SeaTac each have a non-voting advisory board member.
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