North Whatcom Fire and Rescue (NWFR) officials are working to resolve financial issues the district is facing. As a result, they’re considering restarting formal conversations with Whatcom County Fire District 4 to create a regional fire authority (RFA).
NWFR commissioner Bruce Ansell said during the February board of fire commissioners meeting that he met with district 4 fire commissioner Steven Cooley to discuss creating a regional fire authority with the two
districts.
“They’re committed to reengaging in discussions for future service knowing that financially they will not be capable of providing the existing level of service after the end of this year unless there is an increase in their levy or change in their contractual agreement,” said Ansell, referring to the nearly decade-long interlocal agreement that allows fire district 4 to receive NWFR services.
NWFR, also known as fire district 21, and fire district 4 commissioners pursued a voter-approved regional fire authority last year that would have combined districts. But negotiations ended last spring because of differences among the districts, and both districts decided to reevaluate plans after the November 2021 election where both districts had commissioner seats up for a vote. Facing tight financial straits, both districts sought levy increases in the August primary and November general election – voters rejected the measures both times.
NWFR and fire district 4 officials plan to meet informally and bring information back to the boards for direction. Each district will need three commissioners if both parties agree to enter formal regional fire authority discussions, which could soon be a problem for fire district 4, with a vacant seat.
“Commissioner Cooley knows they need to fill that position if they truly want to engage in RFA discussions,” Ansell said.
NWFR and fire district 4 chief Jason Van der Veen later said he doubted a regional fire authority would be on ballots this year. The districts are also considering merging, he said, which would mean district 4 and its commissioners dissolving into NWFR. District 4 residents would eventually be able to vote and run for NWFR commissioner seats in elections, Van der Veen said. A regional fire authority would mean both districts combining their governance to create an entirely new district.
Van der Veen said he’s working on financial planning for both districts, which includes finding a minimum levy rate that voters would accept to allow the fire districts to at least pay its bills. NWFR’s proposed levy in 2021 would have increased its current rate by 30 cents, from $1.15 to $1.45 per $1,000 of assessed value.
In a follow-up phone call, Van der Veen said it likely wouldn’t be until early 2023 until another levy request is sought. It’s too soon to give a levy estimate but it would be less than the proposed levy increase last year, he said.
The regional fire authority discussion followed NWFR’s decision earlier in the meeting to sell its Wiser Lake station as surplus. Commissioners cited the district’s fraught financial situation as reason for selling the property and showed concern that no members of the public showed interest in the sale, or spoke during the public hearing. Van der Veen later said the Wiser Lake station could bring in about $750,000 for the district, which would be used to fund two fire tenders that will likely service station 69 in Laurel and station 68 on Birch Bay-Lynden and Enterprise roads.
Although station 62 in Semiahmoo has sat vacant for years, Van der Veen said the district would not consider selling the property because of Semiahmoo’s growing population. “We need to staff that station with at least an ambulance and an engine in the near future, more like today,” he said.
NWFR is also dealing with maintenance issues after severe November flooding and freezing temperatures in December and January. Station 61 on Odell Road sustained sprinkler damage where bunker gear was stored and station 63 in Birch Bay had extensive damage to the dry system in its training tower. Insurance covered the sprinkler damage and the district decided to permanently disable the dry system instead of repairing it, Van der Veen said.
The district’s pre-2005 phone system is also experiencing intermittent outages in the district’s office, but does not impact emergency services. The phone system only had one company left supporting it, which closed suddenly in December.
“Sometimes we have voicemails, sometimes we don’t. Sometimes the phones ring, sometimes they don’t,” Van der Veen said. “It’s not acceptable for an emergency response agency to not have landlines so we can be contacted by the public.”
Van der Veen said he’s most concerned the district’s finances will make it harder to retain its employees in the future.
“We’re not a sinking ship,” he said. “I think what we are is an underpowered tugboat trying to do our job.”
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