….. still waiting for moderator approval of my reply to Chuck…..

The funding is coming from both the Camas Firefighters Association and the East County Volunteer Firefighters Association, and also from private donations from some others. For example, an insert will be included in the Columbian on the 31st or 1st, entirely paid for by Ray Hickey, who has no personal or professional involvement with Camas or East County Fire. The web site was created and funded entirely out of the pocket of a single ECFR volunteer member, hosting and domain fees and all. The key thing: No tax-derived funds are involved in the education effort.

The ‘Yes on EMS’ Committee is indeed made up largely but not exclusively of firefighters from East County and from Camas. What is important is the distinction that the public education effort is being undertaken by people on their own time, using their own resources, and funded from sources that are not tax-based.

I personally spent all day today going door to door, and putting signs up when homeowners asked for them. I am a volunteer, I stand no financial gain from this levy restoration.

Several of the Camas firefighters involved in the effort live in the ECFR district. In fact, we also are getting help from firefighters from Vancouver, Portland, TVF&R and others who live in the ECFR district. For them, it is about the loss of the ambulance service… they have absolute first-hand knowledge of what will happen if this restoration fails. It’s not about money, it’s about the safety of their families. You should really listen to the people right on the front lines who know. You would trust a Marine to tell you what is going on Iraq before George Bush, right? Well, we’re the firefighters, and we’re telling you what the score is.

And Chuck, please my friend, please don’t go off about overtime and raises and other total nonsense like that… I mean no offense but you clearly don’t know what you’re talking about… you’re just angry about taxation, and I respect that position. In reality, however, the City of Camas has been losing money providing unfunded ambulance service to ECFR for the two years this Levy has been down, and bringing it back merely brings funding back to equilibrium and allows CFD to stop charging full rate for transports. There are no pay raises tied with this, that is just silly.

So, I ask you to consider my position:

1. I live in the City of Camas, thus, I personally will still have ambulance service at my house even if it goes down.
2. I am a volunteer and so even if some sort of pay thing was tied to this, I wouldn’t see it.
3. Despite the fact that I will gain no money nor lose my ambulance, I am still spending hours of my own time and gallons of my own fuel getting out and talking to people about it.

What’s my motivation?

I’ll tell you. I know first-hand what will happen if this fails to go through, and I don’t want to be kneeling next to your lifeless prone body on September 15th trying to keep you alive, waiting for over an hour for paramedics and an ambulance, with your family wondering why I can’t do more. And I’m out there because I don’t want your family to ask me why I didn’t warn them that this would happen.

It’s very simple and I can’t be clearer than this: If this doesn’t pass this time, Camas is cutting ECFR off, and people will die.

Any questions?

If it is NOT Camas Fire Department and the others mentioned, then just WHO IS IT that is funding this campaign? Who are the EMS Committee and what is their agenda exactly? Does anybody know?

From what I’ve observed, it is the firefighters – namely members of the Camas Fire Department who are blanketing the east county area with vote Yes signs! They certainly don’t want to lose the additional salaries they collect, nor the overtime and pay raises they enjoy should this issue be defeated for a THIRD time!

I just learned that the funds from the Fire Levy Lid Lift for 2009 do not reach us until much later than January. We will begin the hiring process to pick up the staff funded by this shortly after the first of the year, but due to the inherent bureaucratic delays in getting the funds passed through to us, we won’t have 24/7/365 coverage until April or May.

Sorry for the error…..

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Even if you have already checked out the http://www.EMSyes.org web site put up by the ‘YES on EMS’ Committee, you may want to go check it out again, as a couple of new sections have been added: A news/editorials page, and a page with items you can download and post in order to spread the word.

Life Flight is bringing in a helicopter, there will be a vehicle extrication demonstration, there will be a ‘bouncy house’ and visits from Smokey the Bear and other stuff for the kids. Food and drink will be available. Of course, station tours will be offered, and the event is being held in tandem with a fly-in and public event at Grove Field next door, where pilots will be offering rides for $10.

Mark your calender and come see us!

Thanks for your questions, but where did I say you ‘didn’t have all the answers’? None of us do, but I’m not trying to label you with anything. I think aside from the anonymity of a message board, I’d hope that we would probably get along great in person.

If we were not restricted by funding issues, we would of course prefer that all stations be staffed full-time. However, the reality is that right now we are usually only able to staff two stations. As such, we staff the busiest station on each side of the Washougal River. Following the implementation of the fire levy funds after the first of the year, we will always have 24/7 coverage at those stations.

On the East side, are (were) Station 4 and Station 5. While Station 4 is more centrally located geographically, Station 5 is (was) more centrally located demographically, meaning we are (or were) closer to more of our residents. And, as such, we were also closer to you (when staffed) than your own FD. Also, we have a great operating relationship with Skamania County District #4, and they have always been able to help us out with calls up in the Bear Prairie area above Station 4 because they have a near straight shot up the River Road – so the North end was generally never totally naked for coverage while we were at Station 5.

Likewise, while Station 1 is not centrally located geographically on the West side, is it by far our busiest station district and it makes sense for us to respond from there because we are closer to more residents demographically than Station 2 or 3. We used to staff Station 3 overnight while the new Station 1 was being built, and over and over again those guys were nearly always responding to the Station 1 and sometimes Station 2 areas, not so often to their own area.

We are currently accepting applications for resident firefighters, and after we get some more on board we will once again have live-in residents at Station 3, so that frequently we will indeed have coverage out of there as well. Station 2 is actually busier than Station 3, but that facility is literally just a garage, there are no sleeping or living quarters, so for now it is always unstaffed.

When the three new satellite stations (new 5, 6 and 7) are eventually opened and made available to resident firefighters (the new 5 opens in October) , there will be two stations with 24/7 coverage (1 and 4) , and up to four with part-time coverage (3, 5, 6, 7), leaving only Station 2 always unstaffed. We’re doing our best to improve, but always trying to look forward as well.

Good questions, thanks. Let me know if I can be of further help.

Help Me Understand:

We currently own five properties in the unincorporated area, and of course the one property in the City of Washougal (old Station 5) which is currently for sale. One of the five properties in the unincorporated area will be the new Station 5 in Bear Prairie, which per terms of the sale agreement will not be turned over to ECFR control until September.

Below is a written summary of our facilities, locations, and staffing. Below this written summary is a link to a Google Map with our stations that you can scroll around on and zoom in and out.

Station 1-1 (Fern Prairie)
600 267th Ave
Usually staffed 24/7 (always 24/7 beginning next year)

Station 1-2 (Mt Livingston)
4909 NE 292nd Ave
Unstaffed, no living quarters

Station 1-3 (Sunnyside)
121 NE 312th Ave
To be staffed by part-time residents

Station 1-4 (Mt Norway)
1808 SE 352nd Ave
Usually staffed 24/7 (always 24/7 beginning next year)

OLD Station 1-5 (Orchard Hills)
211 39th St
Closed, but still houses a reserve tender for now.

NEW Station 1-5 (Bear Prairie)
NE 397th Ave / Miller Rd
To be staffed by part-time residents
(opens October 2008)

Station 1-6 (Mt Pleasant)
No property has been obtained yet, but we are aiming for the Gibson Rd / Hans Nagel Rd area.
To be staffed by part-time residents

Station 1-7 (Jones Creek)
No property has been obtained yet, but we are aiming for a location on Boulder Creek Rd.
To be staffed by part-time residents

District Map:
http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=108208800616318278069.000448cf9a4ffbdc7ec89&ll=45.638047,-122.35611&spn=0.337027,0.52803&z=11

I hope this helps. Thanks all for the good questions. We’re at your service.

And again, it is high time I added this disclaimer yet again to this very long threaded discussion: None of what I write here is to be taken as any kind of official communication from ECFR. These writings are my own words, often slanted by my own personal opinions, and in no way (necessarily) represent the official positions of ECFR, its staff, or Board of Commissioners. … ie. these are just the ramblings of a worn out ECFR hose jockey trying to do his best.

While Station 5 on 39th was open, it usually had 24/7 staffing with part-timers and shift volunteers, and Station 4 on Mt Norway was often unstaffed because it has substandard living quarters and was not as busy. However, with the closure of Station 5, the mostly full-time staffing, as well as two live-in residents, have all relocated to Station 4 on Mt Norway.

Also, as a direct benefit of the Fire Levy lid Lift (thank you!), the money from that restoration to our 2001 tax level will result in hiring additional full-time career firefighters and you will have guaranteed 24 hour coverage out of Station 4 there on Mt Norway. However, although that Levy was approved already, we don’t actually get any funds from it until the next fiscal cycle, so those hires will not be aboard until shortly after the first of the year.

Thanks again for your kind words, they are appreciated.

The City of Camas Fire Department and East County Fire & Rescue are not affiliated with this campaign, all funds for the campaign are from private donations, no taxpayer dollars are involved.

Please visit the following URL for details, answers to frequently-asked questions, and other important information:

http://www.EMSyes.org

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Protected Citizen:

If I have a fire at my house, I prefer having the best-trained people coming, but when seconds count there is great value in having the closest people coming, too. In my short time with ECFR so far, our training requirements have become much more demanding than they had been in the past. I won’t apologize or make excuses for the past, especially since it is before my time, but we are always trying to do our best and improve.

Your comment regarding an ECFR crew of “cadets” is completely in error. Our cadets are prohibited from driving apparatus at any time, let alone allowed to respond to calls alone. They are permitted to ride along and observe if there is room on the truck.

You are absolutely correct, however, regarding our trouble with staffing, this is precisely the reason we asked for (and received, thanks voters!) the Fire Levy restoration back to 2001 levels, to provide a minimal professional career staff 24 hours a day.

If Station 5 happened to be unstaffed when a call was received, I can see the 10 second interval you describe, but Station 5 was frequently staffed, and the three minute delay it takes Washougal to get that far is the difference between life and death when your heart stops and brain death commences in four to six minutes. I am not knocking my Washougal brothers and sisters, they are totally capable and they have great skills, but time kills.

We have all driven past addresses before, it happens to everyone. Us, Washougal, Camas, Vancouver, Portland…. it happens.

Yes, cities grow, and the ECFR district will obviously shrink over time. What is your point? Should we just close up shop? Sorry ECFR residents, this whole place will be annexed eventually in the next 40-50 years, so we’re out of here. Really, what would make you happy on this point?

ECFR did not run calls in the city “to keep up their skills”, it was because before the present Washougal fire leadership came into being, cooperation between us was common, and because the Clark County Medical Director, the highest authority over all EMS services and ambulances in the County, has standing orders (that Washougal chose to defy) that the closest EMS unit responds, regardless of district, period. And even supposing they did as you claim, “just to keep up their skills”, is there anything fundamentally wrong with that? Practice makes us better.

There’s a lot of hate and discontent here, and I am sorry you feel that way. I do wish you and others who let their discontent fly at us would check their facts before plastering them in the newspapers or on blogs like this, but I promise you, it won’t change my efforts to try to serve you or anyone else who is has an emergency and calls upon us to assist.

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Fire department partnership talks are a positive step
By Heather Acheson
Post-Record staff

The Camas Fire Department and East County Fire and Rescue have once again opened the doors to discussions that could lead to additional partnerships between the fire service arms of the two entities, and down the road maybe even a consolidation of fire services.

Talks are in the very preliminary stages at this point, but the outlook is good that at the very least some additional partnerships and/or sharing of services could be on the horizon. It is an arrangement that has the potential to benefit the taxpayers, as well as the patients both departments serve.

Just a couple of years ago, a partnership possibility seemed to have fizzled for good.

In an effort that began in late 2005, it was the CFD, ECFR and the Washougal Fire Department looking into creating an expanded cooperative services agreement or full-out consolidation. After several months of meetings and discussions, Washougal officials abruptly announced that they were satisfied with the already existing cooperative efforts between the jurisdictions and did not want to commit the public funds or time to explore it further. It was an action that seemed to leave the issue dead in the water.

This time around, however, the situation involving the districts served by ECFR and the CFD seems primed for discussion of an expanded partnership. Namely, with Camas’ recent urban growth boundary expansion and annexation of more than 1,000 acres of land north of Lacamas Lake, additional collaboration between the two groups just makes sense.

In addition, the overall tone expressed by representatives of both jurisdictions is both positive and forward thinking. These are two qualities that at least at the outset could pave the way for a successful discussion.

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Some corrections/clarifications/updates and other thoughts upon review of this thread, in no particular order:

The decision to expand Station 5 was made prior to current Chief Scott Koehler coming aboard, and was being implemented just as he started. At the time, it made complete sense, as the Washougal Fire Chief at the time subscribed to the sensible approach of ‘closest unit goes’ and was willing to cooperate with ECFR… and the consolidation mentioned in the above article was beginning to form (the original scope of “East County Fire & Rescue” was to more or less merge Camas, Washougal, District 1 and District 9). At that point, the location in or out of Washougal was irrelevant because it appeared that all stations would be in a single department within a year or so. A few years later the WFR Chief bailed out (not a hometown boy and feeling the heat) and since then Washougal has gone its own way. District 1 and 9 kept the mantle and now after some time has passed, Camas wants in after all (ECFR didn’t start the talks).

Station 3 on 312th is in fact not the largest station as I had claimed. It has the largest truck bay, but a much smaller office/living area. The new Station 1 is the largest overall.

Station 5 is officially closed as of this morning (5/22). Last night was the last night shift, today’s day shift reported for duty at Station 4 instead. We will probably store some apparatus there – unstaffed – until it sells, because we have a few volunteers who still live close by and might be able to grab one of those trucks for a call, and because until the new Station 1 is open and a satellite station is opened, we do not have room for all of our apparatus. Interest is higher than we anticipated…. we can’t keep those real estate flyer holders stocked. Click here for the craigslist posting for Station 5: http://portland.craigslist.org/search/rfs/clk?query=fire+station&srchType=T&minAsk=min&maxAsk=max

Someone asked if Orchards Hills residents would have to pay for Station 5 twice (once as District 1 taxpayers and again as Washougal taxpayers). I still have not quite gotten my arms around this problem. Thankfully I won’t have to because Washougal is going their own way and not buying it. An interesting and thought-provoking question, though.

The first satellite station house has been purchased, it is located in Bear Prairie just South of where NE 28th St turns into NE Miller Rd. It probably will not open until late September or erly October (current owner has a provision to stay until his new house is built). When opened, it will house an EMS/brush squad and a 2,500 gallon engine/tender.

ECFR may be hiring an additional full-time person this Summer, but not as one of the afore-mentioned Captains or Lieutenants. This hire is contingent upon approval of a federal hiring grant. If approved, bear in mind that 100% of the funding for this position over the next four years is covered by the grant, and does not come out of taxpayers dollars. ECFR providing more and keeping expenses low….saving you money….

I haven’t made it clear before but I should do so now…. none of what I have posted here should be construed as any kind of official communication from ECFR. It is the ramblings/thoughts/observations/opinions of one member of ECFR, only. ECFR obviously should not be held responsible for anything I say!

“Mayor said that he has been discussing the future of fire service with East County Fire and Rescue as the city continues to annex areas. Cursory talks will take place about the vision of shared services. They would like to discuss with Paul Lewis what financial implications there are and what the scope and outlook is. These discussions would concentrate on fire services, not emergency medical services.

Mayor confirmed with Anderson that a special board meeting was held with the East County Fire Commissioners and that it went quite well. There will be a fire open house during Camas Days weekend, a pancake feed, and a lunch at their new fire station. They will be providing an informational booth at Camas Days.”

http://www.ci.camas.wa.us/govern/agendapck/2008%20May%205%20Agenda%20Packet/WKSP%2004-21-08.pdf

This does not support the notion that Camas is considering any kind of discontinuation of our mutual aid agreements. Technically, Washougal and ECFR still have a mutual aid agreement as well, but in practice they have opted out.

But, I’m just a worn out hose jockey, what do I know? Sometimes, not much.

More to come, I am sure.

And yes, Jeff, you reminded me of the important fact – that predates my arrival so I often forget – the movement which resulted in the formation of ECFR from District 1 and District 9 had originally included Camas and Washougal as well, and would have created a much larger organization. It is quite likely that the remodel of the 39th St station assumed that this would proceed. Again, that is before my time here . . .

Part of the reason ECFR went ahead with remodeling the 39th Street station had to do with a strong ongoing effort to continue to enhance our mutual aid agreements and to start considering a functional consolidation that wouldmhave left taxing districts as is, woiuld have put full-time firefighters in 39th and other ECFR stations, and would have stream-lined to administration level of management. This all went in the toilet in February 2006 when Washougal bailed out.

“Will Taxpayers Pay Twice” is also right on about the old city limits and districts. Those areas were annexed about 1996.

Now, ECFR is building close to the new Camas boundary. Is this a good investment of district money — with the potential for losing this property to the City of Camas with future annexation moving toward Fern Prairie? Only time will tell. But, it sure would stand to reason that ECFR should seriously look at future sites for fire stations to be located well beyond the boundaries of both Camas & Washougal city limits. Perhaps the ECFR commission should conduct some long-range planning that goes beyond 5 – 10 years, but as far out as 20 years.

Your post led to some more research by me, thanks for the comments.

ECFR’s EMS levy was denied by the voters twice in 2006; once in the primary and then again in the general election.

Washougal moved to start cancelling us from responses to their calls during the time between the elections. It was not until a considerable amount of time after the second election that ECFR was forced to begin billing for EMS responses, so if this is the excuse they are using now, it is not the reason used to justify the initial decision. And as alluded to above, we were officially and finally removed outright from their calls perhaps not quite a year ago, so instead of routinely being dispatched by 911 and then cancelled by WFR, we no longer even hear their alarms unless we happen to hear them while monitoring the radio.

To be fair, when ECFR did still end up on the occasional EMS response in the City of Washougal, ECFR billed for response. This would rightfully have seemed unfair to Washougal residents who had voted yes to their own EMS levy, but there was no mechanism for ECFR to recoup costs while assisting WFR. If the City of Washougal had been willing to put the safety of its citizens in front of political concerns, it would have been fairly simple to arrange some sort of billing arrangement between ECFR and WFR to cover these costs when we helped them out, or at the least WFR could have resupplied ECFR to replace equipment utilized on WFR district calls.

All details and billing and levy and political issues aside…. if you dropped from a cardiac arrest one block from ECFR Station 1-5 on 39th, would you prefer we responded, or do you want to wait a few minutes while WFR responds from 15th St? To potentially save $413? What is your life worth, anyway??

The City of Washougal has made this decision for you, and as one of our members found, even a requested bypass of that policy by the person calling 911 is not permitted.

All that aside, it still does not explain why, for a reported commercial structure fire response (where ECFR EMS billing is not an issue) to 32nd and Evergreen Highway, Washougal’s predetermined run cards with CRESA (the 911 agency) dispatched units from WFR Station 17-1 (1.2 miles), Camas Station 4-1 (3.5 miles), and Camas Station 4-2 (9.7 miles), while leaving all of the ECFR units idle at Station 1-5 (7 blocks away). In fact, all five of ECFR’s stations were closer than Station 4-2.

The City of Washougal may have answered the question of bypassing ECFR for EMS calls in Washougal in a way that they feel comfortable with, but I have yet to hear the reason for leaving us off of their fire responses.

I live in Camas, so my personal view of these decisions is limited to being simply mystified…. I just don’t get it. If I was a Washougal resident, particularly on the east side, my emotional response would be rather different, to be sure. I’d say send the closest units. If some are volunteers with no assurance of 24/7 staffing, send everyone anyway… I’ll be happy to see whoever arrives first, I can assure you, no matter what color their trucks or what patch is on their shoulder.

Since Station 1-5 will be closing within days, it is a moot point. Suffice to say, and this should come as no surprise to anyone reading this blog, that city politics are not intended for any of us to understand!

Washougal residents, you will one day regret your city’s decision to not purchase our fire station…. it will likely end up costing the city more than twice as much to obtain land and build a facility in the future then to pick up this building and plug-and-play it, and it will be reflected in increased taxes or reduced services…. but we have buyers nibbling, so … oh well.

I wish no ill will towards our Washougal or Camas brothers, we’re all in this together and we all want to see each other go home after every shift despite the politics going on over our heads.