THE CITY OF Battle Ground recently entered into an interlocal agreement with Clark County Fire District 3 to provide fire and emergency medical services to the city. The organization will staff Battle Ground’s fire station, located at 505 SW 1st St., Battle Ground.
BATTLE GROUND – During a regular Battle Ground City Council meeting the evening of Sept. 8, city council members voted unanimously to approve an interlocal agreement for fire and emergency medical services with Clark County Fire District 3.
Fire District 3 will begin to provide their services to the city beginning Jan. 1, 2016.
In February of this year, the city issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) for fire and emergency medical services. The RFP Committee reviewed the two proposals that were received (one from Fire District 3 and one from Clark County Fire & Rescue, who the city is currently has a contract with) and selected Fire District 3’s proposal for City Manager John Williams to negotiate a contract.
The Clark County Fire District 3 Board of Commissioners has also approved the contract.
According to the agreement, the initial term of service will be for six years from Jan. 1, 2016, beginning at midnight, through Dec. 31, 2021, at 11:59 p.m. The contract may be renewed once for a period of six years. The renewal of the contract will occur automatically under the same terms and conditions unless the contract is terminated as provided within this contract.
The Fire District 3 proposal includes the following staffing 24 hours a day and 365 days per year:
First Initial Response Crew staffing at the Battle Ground Station
• Fire captain
• Firefighter/paramedic
• One or more student intern firefighters
Second Initial Response Crew staffing (peak hours 7 a.m.-7 p.m.)
• Two firefighter EMT to firefighter/paramedics
• One or more student intern firefighters
Future staffing
• Addition of one fire prevention officer in 2017
Apparatus/equipment
• New ladder truck in service by 2018-2019
• Fully equipped Advanced Life Support (ALS) Rescue Unit
• Fully equipped ALS Squad
• Two fully equipped Basic Life Support (BLS) fire engines
• Fire District 3 will purchase the necessary complement of equipment for all apparatus
• Apparatus will be replaced at Fire District 3 expense as the schedule dictates
Response time
• Standard of cover goal for initial response time is to arrive within six minutes to priority calls. Response time within the city of Battle Ground limits is estimated to be much faster due to the 24-hours-per-day staffing at the Battle Ground fire station, and the the short response distances within the city, as well as the number of Fire District 3 stations within close proximity to city limits.
Training
• All personnel are trained and certified to National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) standards
• All training and operational procedures comply with Firefighter Safety Standards set forth in Washington Administrative Code 296-305-05001
• Formal education is key in the hiring and advancement of personnel
• Fire District 3 leads the region in certified personnel, holding more than 100 different International Fire Service Accreditation Congress certifications
• Fire District 3 owns and operates a three-story training tower at Fire Station 31
Fire District 3’s proposal also included some ideas on how they will be engaged and proactive within the community, how they would maintain city relations and also that they will complete a new five-year strategic plan within 12 months.
According to the agreement, Fire District 3 will share Battle Ground a rate that is equivalent to the same rate that the citizens of Fire District 3 are charged for fire protection services, which will be $1.42 or less unless Battle Ground approves of a higher rate at a later date.
Should the amount of the increase of Battle Ground’s assessed value exceed more than 8 percent over the year prior or drop below the amount of the year prior in any given year, the parties will then meet to determine an appropriate resolution that results in a limitation of either the increase or decrease of applicable rates. This will be done so that all services in the Proposal Response will be maintained at the levels stated in the Proposal Response.
Under no circumstances will the rate for Battle Ground drop below the equivalent of $1.35.
