Two Clallam Fire District No. 2 stations close if November levy increase fails at polls, officials say

PORT ANGELES — Two Clallam County Fire District No. 2 stations will close if a proposed fire levy increase fails in November, district commissioners decided this week.

The closure of the district’s Deer Park and Black Diamond stations were two of 17 cuts the three Fire District No. 2 commissioners unanimously authorized Tuesday night if voters do not approve the district’s request to raise its maintenance-and-operations property tax levy by 29 cents per $1,000 assessed valuation in the Nov. 4 general election, Fire Chief Sam Phillips said Wednesday.

“This is our plan if the levy fails,” Phillips said.

“These are the consequences if the levy fails.”

The levy measure failure also would mean no money for four full-time firefighter/paramedic positions currently funded by a Federal Emergency Management Agency grant set to expire in September, Phillips said.

ADVERTISEMENT
0 seconds of 0 secondsVolume 0%
Press shift question mark to access a list of keyboard shortcuts
00:00
00:00
00:00
 

He said he could not yet say whether the elimination of the positions would lead directly to layoffs, since the money for the positions funds a combination of individual full-time and part-time personnel.

“The board asked me to look into any way to redirect current funds to keep those positions, and [fire district staff] will be reporting back to the board next month,” Phillips said.

The district would still have volunteer paramedics for medical calls, Phillips added.

The district currently levies 76 cents per $1,000 for fire protection.

If approved in November, the measure would increase taxes $58 a year on a $200,000 home and generate an estimated $278,858 per year for the district’s maintenance-and-operations costs, Phillips said.

District commissioners voted last month to put the increase request to voters.

If voters approve the increase, the total amount of the fire district’s property tax levy would be $1.05 per $1,000 valuation.

In November 2013, voters defeated a proposal to increase the levy by 39 cents per $1,000 of assessed evaluation to fund round-the-clock emergency medical service.

Phillips said the district has not passed a maintenance-and-operations levy increase in 30 years and needs one to keep up with increasing costs, such as fuel and utilities.

“Costs are going up, yet our revenues are not keeping up with these costs,” Phillips said.

“We need to have this operating levy so we can continue that level of emergency response.”

Closing the Deer Park and Black Diamond stations would mean emergency crews would no longer be called to those stations and respond from them, he said.

The effect could be twofold, increasing response times and leading to higher fire insurance rates, Phillips said.

Closure of the two stations would mean that crews from the district’s two other stations at Gales Addition and Dry Creek would respond to calls in the Deer Park and Black Diamond areas.

“Absolutely, I think this will increase response time,” Phillips said.

Additionally, closing the two stations would mean they would no longer be counted in the fire district’s Washington Surveying and Rating Bureau score.

This score, currently at a 7, with 10 being the worst, influences fire insurance rates for both residents and businesses, Phillips said.

If the stations are no longer counted, Phillips estimated fire insurance costs for homeowners in those areas could increase 31 percent in some cases.

Other cuts authorized Tuesday night include charging $25 for a currently free residential burn permit and raising the price for commercial land-clearing permits from $100 to $200, according to Phillips.

Responses to burn complaints, smoke investigations and calls outside the district — except where a mutual aid agreement exists — also would be stopped as part of the cuts, Phillips said.

Fire District No. 2 also would stop providing standby crews for such community events as the annual Fourth of July fireworks show in Port Angeles and the first-aid booth at the Clallam County Fair, held each August.

The 95 percent-volunteer Fire District No. 2 covers 85 square miles that include Dry Creek, Black Diamond, Lake Sutherland and Gales Addition, and serves about 9,500 residents.

Jefferson County Fire District No. 2, which serves the Quilcene area, is also planning to ask voters to lift the lid on its property tax levy by 50 cents per $1,000 in the November election.

________

Reporter Jeremy Schwartz can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5074, or at jschwartz@peninsuladailynews.com.

More in News

Coast Guard searching for three missing people

Vessel located Thursday after it was overdue Wednesday evening

AAUW, foundation selected for leadership award

The American Association of University Women and the University Women’s… Continue reading

Jason Squire, manager of the Rose Theatre in Port Townsend, shows off the new $150,000 Barco SP4K laser projector installed last month. The projector, one of three that the movie house needs for each of its screens, replaces an aging one that failed in June 2004, necessitating a GoFundMe drive for the owners, George Marie and Michael D’Alessandro, to help pay for a new one. More than $105,000 was raised from 777 donors. (Steve Mullensky/for Peninsula Daily News)
New projector

Jason Squire, manager of the Rose Theatre in Port Townsend, shows off… Continue reading

Clallam awards funds to address homelessness

Funding cycle to run through June 2027

Port Angeles commissions intersection control study

City council approves two new vehicle purchases

East Jefferson Fire Rescue Chief Bret Black addresses a group of attendees at the Port Ludlow fire department on Wednesday. From left to right are Smokey Bear, Jefferson County Commissioner Heidi Eisenhour, Black, Jesse Duvall, the state Department of National Resources’ Community Resilience coordinator, and EJFR Community Risk Manager Robert Wittenberg. (Elijah Sussman/Peninsula Daily News)
East Jefferson department offers free wildfire mitigation visits

Forecasts predict high-risk summer; neighborhoods prepare

Forum to speak about local news

Conversation slated Tuesday at Field Hall

Mason Combs is 4 feet, 3 inches tall and has red hair, according to the Clallam County Sheriff’s Office. (Clallam County Sheriff’s Office)
Child located after agencies partner on search

A 10-year-old boy who had been missing since Tuesday has… Continue reading

Sequim research lab testing ways to use seaweed, resources

PNNL is only Department of Energy lab with marine facilities

Bonnie Obremski, front left, substitute garden manager, and volunteers Susan Savelle, yellow visor, Sarah Maloy, left rear, Paulette De Llario, right rear, and Mary Claire Hunt, rear, helped clean up the Salish Coast Production Garden at the Salish Elementary School in Port Townsend on Saturday. The garden produced more than 5,000 pounds of produce used for the school lunches last year and farmers are aiming for 7,000 pounds in 2025. Hunt will be honored as a community health hero by the Jefferson County Public Health department for her efforts in bringing together farmers and gardeners who donate their crops to the Jefferson County food bank with a presentation on Thursday at the Board of Jefferson County Commissioners’ chambers at the Jefferson County Courthouse. (Steve Mullensky/for Peninsula Daily News)
Garden cleanup

Bonnie Obremski, front left, substitute garden manager, and volunteers Susan Savelle, yellow… Continue reading

Foundation purchases hospital equipment

Linear accelerator to be installed in May

Port Townsend updated on city’s workplan

Forty-five of 61 projects on track, city manager says