As volunteerism erodes, options outlined for regional EMS district

Local emergency medical service volunteers are aging out and burning out, and it may be time to look at funding a new district to ensure full-time help is available. 

That's the message Electric City Mayor Diane Kohout and Grand Coulee Fire Chief Ryan Fish, and others shared at a community town hall meeting hosted by the Regional Board of Mayors Nov. 6.

"The volunteer base has eroded over the years," Kohout said in an opening presentation in Coulee Dam's town hall. "If this continues, we're in danger of losing or having greatly reduced service. If we feel like we're having a heart attack, or get injured in an accident, you want to know that someone's going to be there to come help take care of you."

She said setting up a district that can collect a base revenue will make the services sustainable into the future, whether via property tax levy, sales tax, or some other setup. 

What kind of district, and how to bring in revenue, would be up to voters and would require at least 60% approval. But there is a lot more research, meetings, public surveys and town halls to come, before anything would even come for a vote, said Kohout, who has clearly put in a lot of time researching options and steps.

Ryan Fish, chief of the Grand Coulee Volunteer Fire Department, points out the sprawling area the city's ambulance service encompasses, stretching from Leahy Junction, toward Nespelem, into Lincoln County and almost down to the Million Dollar Mile portion of Highway 155.

Chief Fish described the Grand Coulee Ambulance's boundaries, which extend out to Leahy Junction, toward Nespelem, into Lincoln County and almost down to the Million Dollar Mile portion of Highway 155.

With 600 calls a year, and less than 10 truly active EMS volunteers (there are around 20 volunteer firefighters) "the burnout factor is there," Fish said.

"I mean, you're trying to do your regular 40-hour workweek. On top of that, trying to take care of 600 calls a year. It takes up a lot of your time," Fish said. "What we're trying to establish here is get enough money to put one or two people on full time, and then fill the rest of the shifts with on-call (volunteer) people."

While no target budget was provided that night, local leaders are looking at a couple of different options for how to model a district. One is an EMS district, which would require a committee of elected officials from various local jurisdictions to put together a plan to propose to voters, set up boundaries, and propose a levy of up to 50 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value.

Creating the district would require multiple hearings and agreements with all four counties that come together in the Grand Coulee Dam area before going to voters, where it would need to receive at least 60% support.

Even all those steps would be simpler than the alternative - creating a Regional Fire Protection Authority. But, though it represents more work up front, a fire authority would be a more flexible structure in terms of what services it could provide, and how it could be funded. 

"[A fire authority] does require a lot more work up front," Kohout said. "But it makes it a lot easier afterwards to do what we might want to do."

Kohout clarified that a fire authority can be drafted to provide emergency medical services only, which would be the likely path locally. But fire service can be added on (and funded) at a later time.

Rich Elliott, mayor of Ellensburg, and deputy chief of Kittitas Valley Fire and Rescue, was also part of the panel. Elliott said a fire authority provides more revenue options. His organization, for example, receives targeted funding from Central Washington University because of higher call rates, and Wenatchee Valley Fire charges a higher tax rate on certain industries, like aluminum and food processing plants.

"They have a higher service demand than a typical house, so they pay a higher rate of tax," Elliott said. "That actually saves homeowners money. That's only possible with fire authority."

Would the area's fire districts and departments eventually wish to consolidate fire services into one entity?

It would involve several fire districts getting on board, but as for the local chiefs, they would like to see that happen.

"We can't speak for all the chiefs around here, but Ryan [Fish] and I discuss this, and I feel that we're ready for a Fire Authority," said Electric City Fire Chief Mark Payne.

"It makes sense to me," Fish said. "We kind of work together like we're a regional fire authority, but we're still separate."

Separate, and volunteer-dependent in a time of shrinking volunteer base.

"I'd like to see us go down that path," Payne said, "but we need to get EMS first."

A fire authority would start with two or more fire jurisdictions forming a committee to develop a plan to propose to the public. 

Nothing in Coulee is straightforward because of the various jurisdictions, but it's something that could make a difference now and into the future. When moderator Scott Hunter, publisher of The Star, asked the mayors in the room about the temperature of their respective councils on this issue, most indicated their councils were open to learning more.

"Just make sure to pick a lawyer that is specific to this," said Elliott, of Ellensburg. "It's complicated. It's needed. You're doing all the right things. But there's a lot of steps involved here."

"It makes ours look easy."