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May 4th was the date chosen for International Firefighters’ Day as it is the feast day of St Florian (the patron saint of all firefighters). Take a moment to recognize the commitment of firefighters around the world in protecting their communities.
Turnover is significant for part-time emergency personnel. In 2023, it was 100% and we have been unable to consistently fill these positions as they leave for agencies that offer full-time employment. This means full-time firefighters must work significant overtime, which costs taxpayers more and has physical and mental impacts resulting in staffing shortages. Volunteer firefighter turnover is significant as they manage work and family commitments.
We consistently staff Station 91 (NE 267th Avenue) as it has higher call volumes but must close Station 94 (SE 352nd Avenue) on the other side of the river when we have insufficient staffing. This delays response times, as does relying on mutual aid to respond from a neighboring agency. This staffing pattern is not sustainable and can jeopardize the outcome of emergency calls. ECFR is proposing to hire up to four additional full-time emergency personnel to ensure both stations are staffed full-time.
Every day is a training day!
Fire districts are predominantly funded by property taxes. For example, over 98% of East County Fire and Rescue’s revenue comes from property taxes. State law limits fire districts’ maximum levy rate of $1.50/$1,000 of assessed valuation. In addition, the Washington State Constitution limits increases in the total tax levy to 1% annually, plus addition of revenue from newly constructed buildings added to the tax rolls. As the total assessed value of property within the district increases, the levy rate decreases to limit increase in the fire levy to 1%.
The historical inflation rate in the United States varies from year to year, but historically has been just over 3% annually. ECFR maintains a conservative fiscal philosophy and operates with a balanced budget as required by state law. With the 1% limitation on increases in the annual tax levy, revenue cannot keep pace with the increasing cost of maintaining service levels. This means that from time to time the board of fire commissioners place a fire levy lid lift on the ballot to provide the voters with a choice to provide sufficient funding to maintain or improve service delivery levels or if the district will be forced to reduce service to maintain its balanced budget.
