Gas costs fuel fire district review on unit responses
From our weekly issue dated June 18, 2008
Due to acute rising fuel prices, a blue ribbon committee will be formed to review how many units from Illinois Valley Fire District should respond to nonemergency calls.
Chief Harry Rich made that announcement during a brief board meeting Thursday night, June 12 at administrative headquarters in Cave Junction. With two directors and some staffers absent, the gathering lasted 16 minutes.
Besides hearing about the forthcoming committee, the board voted 3-0 to repeat a levy request on the Nov. 4 ballot so that 24/7 coverage with paid staff firefighters would be available. The same measure was defeated by voters in the May 20 election.
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Approval of the measure would provide for paid, full-time staffers at Cave Junction Station 1 and Selma Station 2. The district is experiencing a continuing shortage of volunteer firefighters. IVFD administration believes that paid staff is necessary to serve the district because of annexations, and current and predicted added population.
Absent from Thursday’s meeting because of medical situations were directors Dusty Bouchard and Jerry Lamb. Deputy Chief Jeff
Gavlik was on vacation. Also missing were Maintenance Battalion Chief Kris Sherman, and Administrative Assistant Delaine Sherman due to a wildfire in Selma. The latter is a member of IVFD’s incident support group.
IVFD directors voted 3-0 to OK annexations of three sites in Selma recommended during the meeting by Division Chief/Fire Marshal Jerry Schaeffer. The approval brings into IVFD properties at:
*2787 Davis Creek Road, owned by Lavonne Foster.
*297 Borica Drive, owned by Wally Cox, of Yakima, Wash.
*540 N. Gold Canyon Drive, owned by Seattle residents Kirk & Cathleen Taylor.
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Regarding the committee to review and recommend the “proper response and configuration,” the chief said that he sees it being comprised of two or three members each from the community-at-large and IVFD personnel. He noted that the district fuel bill for vehicles during May was $3,000; and that it had reached $5,000 as of the meeting date.
“This is a significant increase,” said Rich. Therefore, he stated, he has ordered that all heavy apparatus is to respond only to emergencies.
Additionally, as part of the district’s continuing efforts to reduce costs, staff officers who drive their rigs home are to leave them parked unless responding to alarms. Rich said that traditionally, those with brush rigs or staff vehicles at home drive them on errands and the like so as to be ready to respond, but that as a fuel-saving measure he is having them stop that practice.
The chief added that for nonemergency calls, it seems appropriate that one unit respond with two people; and not several units with five or six people. For emergency calls including fires and traffic accidents, larger responses are appropriate, he said.
The forthcoming committee will review the situation and make recommendations.
