Voters living in both Clark County Fire District 3 and Clark-Cowlitz Fire Rescue will have important decisions to make on the upcoming Aug. 6 primary election ballot as both districts are running fire levy lid lifts that could impact services for better or worse.
Both Clark County Fire District 3 and Clark-Cowlitz Fire Rescue have encountered situations demonstrating the need for their respective fire levy lifts to pass.
Just last week, the need for the levy’s passage was highlighted when a fire broke out at a house in Ridgefield. Clark-Cowlitz Fire Rescue (CCFR) and mutual aid both responded to a residential structure fire at roughly 3 a.m. on Tuesday, July 16, at 2255 S. 29th Court in Ridgefield, according to a release. While this is tragic enough, it is important to note that CCFR’s Truck 21 arrived at 3:19 a.m. after a 10-minute response time due to the distance from the nearest fire station. Should it pass, portions of the fire levy lid lift would build the new fire station on property CCFR currently owns just half a mile from the house fire on Tuesday, July 16. According to the news release, “A new station would significantly reduce response times for apparatus in the southern Ridgefield area, enhancing the safety and service for the community.”
In the winter, during the Jan. 17 snow and ice storm, Fire District 3 staff delivered a baby at the Battle Ground fire station, and District 3 Chief Scott Sorenson said, because ambulance personnel were unavailable to respond immediately, the baby and mother had to wait at the fire station for some time until they could be taken to the hospital. One of the things the proposed levy lid lift will accommodate is the purchase of a new ambulance to be used when transport cannot be delayed.
Residents in Fire District 3, which covers Battle Ground, Brush Prairie and Hockinson, Heisson, Venersborg and Rawson Road have already indirectly been impacted.
In Fire District 3, administrators already made the difficult decision to cut funding for two firefighter/paramedics after voters rejected a fire levy lid lift in 2023. Unsurprisingly, things have not improved. Another failed levy lift will lead to continued reduced staffing and longer response times. To balance the budget, fire stations will be shut down for certain periods, resulting in fewer firefighters to respond and increased response times. Aging fire engines and equipment will not be replaced. As well, in District 3, a failed levy lift could lead to higher homeowner insurance premiums for residents.
In both District 3 and Clark-Cowlitz, the fire districts have been able to maintain ratings of 4 by the Washington Surveying & Rating Bureau, which rates each fire district based on quality of fire services and which many homeowners insurances use to help set customers’ rates.
Should a levy fail, the rating — and the amount homeowners pay for insurance — could go up. Conversely, if either levy passes, the ratings could either remain the same or improve, which could lead to homeowners insurance going down.
Community members should not have to wait for fire or emergency medical services because of distance or because staff isn’t available or because they do not have adequate equipment to respond to emergencies. Fire services are crucial to communities, and these levies are vital to maintaining quality of life, especially as the areas continue to grow.
Fire levy lift snapshots:
Fire District 3
In 2017, voters approved a fire levy with a rate of $1.42 per $1,000 of assessed property value. After years of “levy erosion,” the amount collected has dropped to $1.16. The district is asking for a $0.34 increase to reset the levy to the maximum allowed — $1.50 per $1,000 of assessed property value. The fire levy lid lift would cost the owner of a $500,000 home an additional $14.17 per month or $170 per year, the release added.
According to Sorenson, costs to provide emergency services increase almost 6% each year, but the district is limited by state law to a mere 1% revenue increase per year.
If approved by voters, the lid lift will fund:
• 24-hour staffing at all five stations
• Additional paramedic certified firefighters to improve survival rates in the community
• The purchase of a new ambulance to be used when transport cannot be delayed
• Fire station improvements that are needed to maintain operational readiness
To see more coverage on the Clark County Fire District 3 measure, visit thereflector.com/stories/board-of-fire-commissioners-approve-levy-lid-lift-ballot-measure,338394, or visit www.fire3.org.
Clark-Cowlitz Fire Rescue
Since the last voter-approved lid lift in 2017, the current levy has dropped to $1.26 per $1,000 residential value. Like in District 3, costs and demands are outpacing revenue, however, and CCFR has seen a more than 40% increase in call volume since the 2017 levy lift. To restore the fire levy to the amount, the fire district, which serves the cities of Ridgefield, Woodland and La Center, is proposing a lid lift to restore the fire levy to $1.50 per $1,000 valuation, or an additional $12 per month or $144 per year for a homeowner with a home valuation of $600,000.
Should the levy pass, it would:
• Maintain staffing levels of three firefighters at each fire station every day
• Allow the district to purchase two fire engines and one water tender
• Complete the construction of a partially built fire station in Woodland
• Initiate construction of a new fire station in Ridgefield
• Fire station improvements at the Dollars Corner, Fairgrounds, La Center and Charter Oak facilities
For more information on the Clark-Cowlitz Fire Rescue levy lift, see previous Reflector coverage at thereflector.com/stories/ccfr-considers-levy-lid-lift-to-combat-rising-costs,338850, or email Fire Chief John Nohr, john.nohr@clarkkfr.org, or visit the website at clarkfr.org.
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