>
PORT TOWNSEND — The long-standing relationship between the Port Townsend Paper Corp. and Jefferson County Fire Protection District No. 6 has come to a screeching halt.
Plant Manager Stan Cupp pulled out of negotiations for a fire service contract last Friday in an e-mail to District Administrator Mike Eliason.
Mill spokesperson Chuck Madison cited two reasons for the decision — talks had been dragging on since December and the parties couldn’t agree on which should pay for ambulance transports for emergency response at the mill.
Fire District No. 6 depends on the emergency medical transport provided by Fire District No. 1 in Chimacum and the Port Townsend Fire District.
The paper corporation wanted the cost of that service included in a flat $14,000 fee it would pay Fire District No. 6 for fire protection services.
Fire commissioners said they couldn’t do that legally.
This full report appears in today’s Jefferson County edition of the Peninsula Daily News. Click onto “Subscribe” at left to order your copy via U.S. mail.