ECFR: Small, but mighty

By Mike Carnes, Guest Columnist I thought for a long time about how to describe East County Fire and Rescue (ECFR) for this column. I've been a part of our fire district for 21 years, and many others have served for close to that. People come to ECFR in our unique part of Clark County and make careers here, and raise their families. When we do leave, it's to develop additional skills to save lives and property, which we then bring home to better serve our community. "Small, but mighty" fits us perfectly. We serve 10,000 people over 60 square miles in the unincorporated areas of Vancouver, Camas and Washougal. ECFR provides better service than most agencies our size because of community support and the advanced training we have amassed over the years. Whether it's terrain challenges, motor vehicle accidents, wildland fires or hazardous material spills -- we have the skills and connections that save lives and property for people right here at home. Many fire districts have felt the pinch from higher call volumes that are exceeding the revenue available to respond. For our fire district, call volumes have been 52 percent higher since 2007. We are allowed a 1-percent revenue increase per year; however, when inflation is 3 to 4 percent, those numbers just don't add up. This is not sustainable in the long run, which is why we are asking property owners to consider a fire levy lid lift. This is not about going to the taxpayers every time we need something. We actively work to cut costs and be more efficient. A good example of this is our partnership with the city of Camas: we share a fire chief with the Camas-Washougal Fire Department and coordinate trainings for emergency personnel to reduce costs. Last year, we also paid off loans early and refinanced bonds, which saved our taxpayers almost $250,000. In the past, we were able to invest money in apparatus, equipment and personnel, which improved our community's insurance rating. The cost savings community members realized in this instance was through reduced fire insurance premiums for home and business owners. Ultimately, our commitment is providing the highest level of service to our community, which is why we are on the Nov. 6 General Election ballot. Let me share with you the facts about the lid lift here: In 2008, voters approved a fire levy of $1.50 per $1,000 of assessed property value. Levy rates fall as property values rise to limit the fire district to roughly the same amount of revenue per year (plus the 1 percent mentioned above). Our fire levy has fallen to $1.29/$1,000 and we are asking voters to consider returning the levy to $1.50. This would cost an additional $7.87 per month for the owner of a $450,000 home. Funding would be used to maintain emergency service levels, including firefighter training, maintaining facilities and repairing equipment and apparatus. These items are also necessary to maintain our community's insurance rating. Now, I want to share my motivation for writing this guest column. Many of us have the skills and have had opportunities to go elsewhere, like bigger or flashier fire departments in more urban environments. But we believe at ECFR that bigger is not better. This is our home and when we leave, it's to learn more and bring it right back to help our community. Your support has built a small, but mighty organization that provides the highest level of service, and we are grateful. Mike Carnes is the deputy chief of the East County Fire and Rescue (ECFR) fire district. He has worked at ECFR for 21 years. To reach him, call 360-834-4908 or email mcarnes@ecfr.us.

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