January 1, 2023 - Today is a bittersweet day for us. Effective at Midnight last night, our Fire Chief Ron Duncan has officially retired.

Chief Duncan started his career with Fire District 2 on August 1, 1985 as a volunteer firefighter. In 1990, Ron was promoted to the rank of volunteer lieutenant. On March 4th, 1991 Ron applied for and was appointed to the full time position of Maintenance Officer/Fire Inspector.

In March of 1995, at the age of 27, Ron was promoted to Fire Chief, and has held that position for the last 27 years. At the time of his promotion, he was the youngest paid Fire Chief in the nation (or so the story goes.)

Chief Duncan has had an incredible impact on our Fire Department, the Benton City area, as well as the fire and EMS system in the greater Columbia Basin. Normally, we would share a list of his accomplishments, however there are far too many to list. Notably, he accomplished completely turning around the finances of our fire district to a healthy, balanced budget; building two fire stations, numerous apparatus upgrades and replacements, the development of specialty teams, and the addition of 24 hour career staffing to protect our community. Words cannot express our gratitude for his tireless service. Mind you, he did all of this while maintaining and excelling with a career at the Richland Fire Department as well.

Chief Duncan, we wish you the best in a long and healthy retirement. Remember- we're always here and the coffee is always hot.

Effective last night at midnight, Assistant Chief Dennis Bates was promoted and assumed the duties of Fire Chief. We look forward to continuing to serve and protect our community and the surrounding areas under the experienced leadership of Chief Bates.