South King County Professional Firefighters is comprised of 130+ union firefighters committed to providing quality service to the citizens in which we serve. South King Fire & Rescue covers nearly 41 square miles and protects nearly 160,000 citizens. The district is made up of what used to be five (5) former fire districts.

What started with one engine in a barn and a handful of volunteers, known as King County Fire Protection District No. 39, grew through the years as the district merged with its original neighbors in King County, King County Fire Protection Districts No. 22, 30 and 32. The fire district retained its identifier as King 39, although over time the fire district simply became known as the Federal Way Fire Department.

In 1991, the City of Federal Way annexed into King 39 which allowed the fire district to continue to provide service for the newly formed city as a stand alone fire district. In 1999, the Federal Way Fire Department celebrated 50 years of service to the greater Federal Way community.

Then, in September of 2005, the citizens within the City of Des Moines voted to have their fire district, King County Fire Protection District No. 26, merge with King 39 to form a larger fire district effective January 1st, 2006. The “merged” fire district would retain the identifier of King County Fire Protection District No. 39, with a name “to do business as” adopted by the Board of Fire Commissioners and the King County/Metro Council of South King Fire and Rescue.

Prior to the merger with King 39, District No. 26 enjoyed a rich history itself having served the citizens within the City of Des Moines since April 30th, 1945. The City of Des Moines annexed into the fire district in 1986. District No. 26 celebrated 50 years of service to the citizens of Des Moines in 1995. Then, on January 1st, 2006, District No. 26 merged with District No. 39 to form South King Fire and Rescue.

South King Fire and Rescue now protects citizens in the cities of Federal Way and Des Moines, as well as a portion of unincorporated King County. The district employs over 150 dedicated members, and responds with a career force of firefighter-EMTs ready to respond day and night to fires, medical calls and other emergency needs. The department also provides specialized services to the community in rescue, hazardous materials, fire prevention, safety education and fire investigation.