Nehalem Bay Fire & Rescue

In 2009 the volunteer fire departments of Wheeler, Nehalem and Manzanita were unified via a public tax ballot measure and formed the Nehalem Bay Fire & Rescue District.

With the establishment of the new fire district, a new main fire station was built to house the expanded operations. The fire station is a 14,500 SF wood frame two story building. The building includes a 3 bay apparatus garage, hose tower, equipment turnout rooms, weight training and exercise facility, emergency control center, offices, overnight crew accommodations, and community/training space.

Nehalem Bay Fire & Rescue is a combination department. This means we have both volunteer and career personnel providing fire & rescue services for the Citizens of our Fire District. We cover 26 square miles and operate two fire stations. In 2023 the District responded to 948 calls for service.

The District is staffed by a paid Chief, Division Chief/Training Officer, Lieutenant, Firefighter, Exec. Assistant/AEMT, and 30 volunteer responders.

The District is a municipal form of government that has an elected five member Board of Directors. The Fire Chief receives authority from the Board of Directors and is responsible for managing staff and District operations.