The Clark County Fire District 3 Board of Fire Commissioners will meet at 6 p.m. on April 24 to discuss a resolution to place a fire levy lid lift on the Aug. 1 primary election ballot.
The community is invited to attend the meeting to learn more and provide comments.
If approved by voters, the levy lid lift will fund additional emergency personnel, station improvements, technical training and equipment replacements.
A news release from Fire District 3 stated its population has grown 26% in the last 10 years, which has in turn resulted in higher call volumes for emergency services. The fire district responded to 4,917 calls in 2022. Of those, 73% were for emergency medical service.
“Our community has grown significantly,” Fire Chief Scott Sorenson said. “This is a safety issue for our residents and emergency personnel. We require more firefighters to keep up with this demand.”
State code requires four firefighters on scene to carry out interior structural fire operations. The district’s current two-person engine companies require another engine company on scene before interior fire operations or rescues can occur, stated the release.
“If there is a known rescue situation where immediate action could prevent the loss of life or serious injury, firefighters can take such rescue action if there are at least three firefighters present and equipped to provide emergency assistance or rescue of the team,” stated the release.
If approved by voters, the fire levy lid lift would allow for three-person engine companies, which is the industry best practice for fire districts the size of Fire District 3. That would allow rescue operations to be initiated and interior fire operations would be able to start with just one more firefighter arriving in a smaller vehicle, which is more cost-effective.
The lid lift will also fund technical training on things like swift water, high angles and ropes to decrease the reliance on outside agency help, which the district stated takes longer to reach people in an emergency. It will fund the remodel of Station 34 in the Rawson Road/Elkhorn/Summer Hill area to provide full-time 24-hour staffing to reduce response times as well, stated the release. The lid lift will replace a fire engine, ambulance and other smaller equipment that has reached the end of its usable lives.
The fire levy lid lift would be 29 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value. It would cost an additional $12.08 per month or $145 per year for the owner of a $500,000 home.
The meeting will be held at Station 31, 17718 NE 159th St., Brush Prairie. Those who want to attend the meeting virtually can find a link to the meeting online at fire3.org.
