Castle Rock fire officials say they may have to stop responding outside their district
Friday, October 10, 2008 6:52 PM PDT
By Barbara LaBoe
Printable version
E-mail this articleLike at least two other Cowlitz County fire districts, the Castle Rock area Fire District 6 says it can no longer afford to cover areas outside its district without compensation.
Officials say it’s not fair to their taxpayers to routinely leave their district for outside calls. If contracts or other agreements can’t be worked out, the district will stop responding to all but major disaster calls.
Taxpayers are concerned about resources they pay for being used outside the district, so officials are working to balance that with “the need to help our neighbors,” said District 6 Fire Chief Eric Koreis. But, as a small district, the Castle Rock station also relies on surrounding districts for coverage. So, the approach has been a “softer” one so far, Koreis said.
“I’m encouraged that we can find a solution and we’ll continue working on it,” Koreis said. “But if we can’t we’re obligated to end service in those areas.”
In the past year Cowlitz 2 Fire & Rescue in Kelso and Fire District 5 in Kalama have taken similar stances with the city of Longview and Woodland respectively. Cowlitz 2 and Longview are still negotiating even though the initial deadline to stop service was Friday. Woodland agreed to reimburse District 5 for major emergency calls in Woodland but also is relying more heavily on the private American Medical Response ambulance company.
Koreis said it’s a simple matter of fairness and that the district is looking at several options.
The district has told residents outside the district near Frye and Tower roads that they’ll need to annex into the district or sign a service agreement in order to keep receiving service. The Frye Road residents — about 10 homes or land parcels — have filed for annexation and the Tower Road residents — representing about 23 land parcels — are interested, Koreis said.
The district also responds all the way up to the Johnston Ridge Observatory along with Fire District 3 in Toutle, passing through another fire district and into another county. The Toutle district doesn’t have its own paramedic service so Fire District 6 is the main responder in that district and up to Johnston Ridge.
The district averages about 40 calls east of milepost 20 of the 54-mile-long Spirit Lake Memorial Highway each year, Koreis said. That can be highway crashes or someone ill or hurt at a visitors center and could be up to 100-mile round trips depending on the location.
Officials have long asked the U.S. Forest Service for reimbursement without much luck. So officials have sent a letter to forest officials saying they will no longer respond to calls after June of 2009 without a service agreement, Koreis said.
The district also is talking with Fire District 3 officials about some sort of contract or reimbursement schedule, Koreis said. Because the two districts already work so closely together, Koreis said he’s encouraged that an agreement can be reached.
And, the district has notified the city of Longview that it can’t respond to calls there without a contract or agreement similar to the one now being negotiated between the city and Cowlitz 2. It’s also possible that Cowlitz 2 will negotiate with Longview on behalf of several smaller fire districts, including Castle Rock, and Koreis said he favors that approach.
The city of Longview has responded to Castle Rock just once in seven years, when a ladder truck was needed for an apartment fire, Koreis said. Fire District 6, though, responded to 15 calls into Longview in 2007.
“We’re not talking about big numbers but, still the taxpayers expect equity and we have to address that,” Koreis said. “It needs to be fair and consistent.”
Related articles:
Castle Rock fire district seeks levy lid lift (Today)
Council seeks more time on emergency service decision (Oct. 3)
clamdipper wrote on Oct 10, 2008 8:16 AM:
jazzie wrote on Oct 10, 2008 8:20 AM:
davewb wrote on Oct 10, 2008 9:20 AM:
Im_not_saying wrote on Oct 10, 2008 9:22 AM:
slanteyes wrote on Oct 10, 2008 9:28 AM:
Mr. Chinook wrote on Oct 10, 2008 10:15 AM:
diamond dog wrote on Oct 10, 2008 11:11 AM:
Is learning CPR-First Aid going to be the answer to the problem. NO IT IS NOT. Can you honestly say that if you stabbed yourself in the head or in a major artery that because your neighbor or friend knows CPR First aid that you are going to live. Who is going to drive and apply pressure and monitor your airway at the same time. No body. Step into the real world. We need the EMS and fire services everywher and everyone should support these dedicated men and women. "
Mr. Chinook wrote on Oct 10, 2008 11:40 AM:
diamond dog wrote on Oct 10, 2008 1:45 PM:
Knowing CPR and First Aid isn't going to save you from and MI or a Triple A. "
Im_not_saying wrote on Oct 10, 2008 2:12 PM:
bmack wrote on Oct 10, 2008 4:11 PM:
Im_not_saying wrote on Oct 10, 2008 8:42 PM:
spete98611 wrote on Oct 11, 2008 8:24 AM:
Cheney119 wrote on Oct 11, 2008 12:13 PM:
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