May 15, 2010

Greetings:

Since introducing the concept of notes from the chief in March of this year a lot has changed. You, the citizens, have reinstated prior levy amounts for fire and EMS in unincorporated Jefferson County, and EMS only in the city. Levies which had plummeted to levels far below amounts necessary to provide services to our growing community, and maintain facilities and equipment to standards required by law as well as adequate reserve funds. I am personally grateful for the confidence your votes bestowed upon us to be responsible stewards of the district.

Two things I learned during the levy campaign were that most folks don’t know that when levies are set the dollar amount collected then becomes fixed, and does not escalate as values increase. That is the reason most fire districts request lid lifts approximately every three to five years. The other item our constituency was not aware of is the reason for cash reserves beyond the need for unforeseen expenses. Besides needing a healthy reserve fund for unforeseen expenses, the department must operate on those funds for nearly the first five months of the fiscal year, until property taxes are collected and dispersed to the fire department sometime in May and then again in November-December of each year. Now we move on to make the necessary improvements to staffing, facilities and apparatus. This summer there will be a temporary lid lift ballot measure within the city of Port Townsend in order for the city to match their contractual obligation to fund fire operations. Their EMS levy request passed the same as unincorporated areas of the fire district.  

In the coming months committees will be formed to develop a plan by which the fire district and the city will officially merge into one junior taxing district. There are two options for this process to occur: An annexation of the city into the district or formation of a Regional Fire Authority. Currently there seems to be more interest for a Regional Fire Authority because an RFA allows for the city to have elected officials serving on the board of commissioners/governing board, with an equal say in the affairs of the fire district. 

Going forward, I will be establishing a citizen’s panel to assist the department in prioritizing an extensive list of needs and wants as described in our strategic planning document. That document is intended to serve as a guide that continually needs to be updated. Many of the items currently on the list will take years to accomplish, while others may move ahead more quickly. One of the most pressing issues is additional full time fire fighters. Two hiring’s are being contemplated for the fall. Also, we will have the two firefighters completing their paramedic training in August and on line sometime in September.

For the balance of 2010 the following will be our most important priorities:

• Prepare a three year budget plan
• A reasonable prudent increase in on duty personnel
• Recruit and train additional volunteers (Volunteer Residents Included)
• Prioritize the additional needs of the district
• Find ways to fund necessary apparatus and facility upgrades, in phases

Finally, please feel free to call or stop by our business office at 40 Seton Road, Suite A if you have any questions or comments you would like to register personally. I and the balance of the staff welcome the input.

Sincerely,

Gordon Pomeroy

Fire Chief

East Jefferson Fire Rescue