New fire agency fans controversy
Inland Valley Fire Agency Chief David Marks, sitting in his Merlin office, has just returned from a series of fire inspections, and the phones are ringing off the hook as residents inquire about his services.
In-between calls, Marks answers questions from walk-in customers, all of whom express dissatisfaction at the area’s existing rural fire agencies.
“People want a change,” Marks claimed. “They’re extremely unhappy with the way the fire situation has occurred here.”
Marks, who said that he has been a firefighter for 27 years, first began setting up shop in Josephine County earlier this month. Three fire engines are already in place at his facility in an existing building, and he hopes to add three more. He has thus far hired five firefighters, and is looking to bring seven more on board.
At this point, Marks said, he has invested a considerable amount of money in starting his Josephine County operations.
The Inland Valley Fire Agency is based in Arizona. Marks said that he first became interested in providing service to Southern Oregon four years ago after meeting with Lou Witzeman, who founded Rural/Metro Corp. That company, which is publicly traded, has seven stations in Josephine County.
Marks said he visited Josephine County last year to examine the situation, and found that people wanted another option with regard to their fire protection.
“They all had one gripe or another about their coverage,” Marks said.
Aside from Rural/Metro Fire Dept., county residents had the Grants Pass Rural Fire District as a possible provider. But that entity is going out of business, which leaves Rural/Metro as the sole option.
Marks said that he was initially uninterested in bringing his business to Southern Oregon. But he kept getting calls from residents, he said, and decided that the demand for an alternative was strong enough to take the leap and bring Inland to the area.
While Marks was still deliberating, the Josephine County commissioners assembled an 11-member Fire Protection Committee. It is charged with making recommendations for establishing standards, boundaries and rate mechanisms for rural fire protection.
The committee has been meeting ever since, and is now close to finalizing its recommendations to the commissioners. Starting with seven options, the Fire Protection Committee has narrowed its recommendation to a fire district franchised to a single provider.
When the committee first was formed, Rural/Metro was the only company capable of providing those services. But now that Inland has established a local presence, it means that Rural/Metro has some competition on its hands.
Marks appeared at the commissioners’ March 28 meeting and claimed that some Merlin business owners had received calls from persons claiming to represent the Fire Protection Committee.
Marks asserted that those business owners were being threatened and intimidated in those phone calls, and were told that they would “have problems” if they supported Inland.
“I wanted to have it on the record that (the commissioners) were fully notified,” Marks said.
During the March 28 meeting, Commissioner Jim Raffenburg said that such action was beyond the committee’s purview.
“Certainly, that wasn’t part of the charge we gave them,” Raffenburg said.
During a subsequent investigation, “Illinois Valley News” was able to verify that at least one local business owner had been contacted and threatened.
Marks said that members of the public have expressed reluctance at having a franchise fire board.
“They believe a franchise idea is a way to get money to a fire department they are already upset with,” Marks said.
He said that, ultimately, market forces should dictate who provides fire coverage to the county’s rural areas.
“People don’t want the idea of a forced monopoly,” Marks said. “People want legitimate competition.”
Customers are already signing up for Inland’s service, which is currently available within a 6-mile radius of its Merlin location. Marks said he hopes to put another station in the Murphy area this summer.
At least two of the Josephine County commissioners have questioned Mark’s credentials and motivations, including whether or not he’s even licensed to do business in Oregon. Marks counters that he anticipates receiving his final Insurance Service Office (ISO) rating by the end of the month and that all his related licensing paperwork is “all being taken care of.”
Marks said he is determined to defend his reputation against all of the recent allegations and attacks, and is not ruling out legal action.
“I’m not going to let this stand,” Marks said. “If they continue this, they’ll find out what a $50 million lawsuit is to me. If they keep slandering my business, they’ll find out.”
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