Note: the following is the text of a presentation Chehalis Firefighter-investigator Adam Myer made to the Chehalis City Council on Monday evening.
By Adam Myer
Chehalis Fire Department
Vice president, IAFF Local 2510
When the city approached the public for support of the EMS levy in 2009, our city manager, Merlin MacReynold told The Chronicle one year ago, “The whole city had seen cuts of as much as 30 percent over the past year, but that the fire department could see layoffs in 2010 on top of furlough days they’ve already taken if it doesn’t pass.” The measure was to continue the levy for six years and tax 50 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value. This was the message Chehalis firefighters were asked by the city to deliver in gathering support for the levy.
”People are concerned about tax change and increase. This isn’t an increase, though, the vote is to maintain a level of service that is already there. In 2008 the department fielded 1,228 emergency medical service calls, compared to 712 when the levy was last approved in 1998. This means the demand for service has continued to increase while staffing has remained at the same level. Cuts will impact who is available to respond. Without the levy, the department would have to cut up to $200,000, and money cannot be funneled from other struggling city departments. According to the 2010 budget, not having the levy could equal one or two firefighter positions in the department.” This is also the impact not passing the levy would have according to the city manager.
The public heard the message. The (headline) in The Chronicle was “Status Quo: Measure Would Maintain Level of Service and Tax Revenue already in Place”. The levy needed a supermajority of 60 percent to pass. It passed at 80.25 percent. We should call it more of an overwhelming supermajority, actually.
Full utilization of the EMS levy, in the manner the public overwhelmingly supported at 50 cents per thousand, will provide the funding to prevent a layoff.
The current level of staffing is 13 firefighters. When Chief Johnson was hired, a chief from outside the department, a chief hired by the city manager … put together his first budget, he asked for three additional firefighters. In 1993, as Dr. Pope and Mr. Spahr will remember, the council had a Fire Services Master Plan prepared for the city. The intent was to provide the city with an approach to identify the most appropriate level and best method of providing services. At the time of the study the call volume was 689 emergency medical calls for service. The plan projected with the addition of elderly care facilities in the city, along with an aging population, an increase in calls. In 2009 there were 1,338 calls for medical aid, that is 110 calls more than the year before. At the time of the study there was a staffing of 11 line personnel. The plan recommended an immediate hiring of two additional personnel, and an eventual third, funded by an EMS levy. The EMS levy was ran, passed, and two firefighters were added in 1996 bringing the staffing to 13. The plan also felt that the department was too “top heavy at the time”, and recommended elimination of a chief’s position.
The staffing level recommendations were based on the call volume at that moment in our city’s history. Since that time, the call volume has literally doubled. The addition of Wal-Mart, Home Depot, the enlarged jail, the Vintage retirement apartments, Woodland Estates, multiple adult family care homes, the increasing student populations in our schools, frequent large scale sports tournaments, the dialysis center, American Behavioral Health, and the expansion of Green Hill … that is a short list of contributing sources. These large scale operations that have moved to our city constitute an impact on services much greater than that of a residential home. The fire department continues to respond reliably and effectively to all of these calls with a current staffing of 13. At that level we are still able to get to all calls and maintain the city’s current ISO rating of 5, while surrounding areas are going to a 7 or even a 9. With the layoff the city now directs us to do this with staffing of 12.
The Chehalis firefighters ask the council to not eliminate the thirteenth firefighter position.
The Local invites the council to enter into a dialogue to seek additional efficiencies and funding sources to provide fire and EMS (services) to the city of Chehalis. Whether through meeting by committee or the whole council, we seek a more proactive partnership based on a transparent understanding of the problems and potential solutions. Combined we have over 200 years of experience providing fire and EMS protection to this community. As a department we have been doing it since 1893. With all due respect to Mr. Dawes statement regarding budgeting for equipment, we maintain the equipment, we operate it, we know the score where replacement is concerned, but empty engines don’t respond to calls. We ask that you please utilize the experts that you have in this field, namely the Chehalis firefighters, when analyzing the best ways to deliver fire and EMS services to the citizens of Chehalis.
•••
Read the story from Tuesday Aug. 24, 2010, “News brief: Job cuts announced for Chehalis police, fire departments” here
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Guest column: Chehalis firefighters to the city: Public overwhelmingly supported current staffing
Thursday, October 14th, 2010Note: the following is the text of a presentation Chehalis Firefighter-investigator Adam Myer made to the Chehalis City Council on Monday evening.
By Adam Myer
Chehalis Fire Department
Vice president, IAFF Local 2510
When the city approached the public for support of the EMS levy in 2009, our city manager, Merlin MacReynold told The Chronicle one year ago, “The whole city had seen cuts of as much as 30 percent over the past year, but that the fire department could see layoffs in 2010 on top of furlough days they’ve already taken if it doesn’t pass.” The measure was to continue the levy for six years and tax 50 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value. This was the message Chehalis firefighters were asked by the city to deliver in gathering support for the levy.
”People are concerned about tax change and increase. This isn’t an increase, though, the vote is to maintain a level of service that is already there. In 2008 the department fielded 1,228 emergency medical service calls, compared to 712 when the levy was last approved in 1998. This means the demand for service has continued to increase while staffing has remained at the same level. Cuts will impact who is available to respond. Without the levy, the department would have to cut up to $200,000, and money cannot be funneled from other struggling city departments. According to the 2010 budget, not having the levy could equal one or two firefighter positions in the department.” This is also the impact not passing the levy would have according to the city manager.
The public heard the message. The (headline) in The Chronicle was “Status Quo: Measure Would Maintain Level of Service and Tax Revenue already in Place”. The levy needed a supermajority of 60 percent to pass. It passed at 80.25 percent. We should call it more of an overwhelming supermajority, actually.
Full utilization of the EMS levy, in the manner the public overwhelmingly supported at 50 cents per thousand, will provide the funding to prevent a layoff.
The current level of staffing is 13 firefighters. When Chief Johnson was hired, a chief from outside the department, a chief hired by the city manager … put together his first budget, he asked for three additional firefighters. In 1993, as Dr. Pope and Mr. Spahr will remember, the council had a Fire Services Master Plan prepared for the city. The intent was to provide the city with an approach to identify the most appropriate level and best method of providing services. At the time of the study the call volume was 689 emergency medical calls for service. The plan projected with the addition of elderly care facilities in the city, along with an aging population, an increase in calls. In 2009 there were 1,338 calls for medical aid, that is 110 calls more than the year before. At the time of the study there was a staffing of 11 line personnel. The plan recommended an immediate hiring of two additional personnel, and an eventual third, funded by an EMS levy. The EMS levy was ran, passed, and two firefighters were added in 1996 bringing the staffing to 13. The plan also felt that the department was too “top heavy at the time”, and recommended elimination of a chief’s position.
The staffing level recommendations were based on the call volume at that moment in our city’s history. Since that time, the call volume has literally doubled. The addition of Wal-Mart, Home Depot, the enlarged jail, the Vintage retirement apartments, Woodland Estates, multiple adult family care homes, the increasing student populations in our schools, frequent large scale sports tournaments, the dialysis center, American Behavioral Health, and the expansion of Green Hill … that is a short list of contributing sources. These large scale operations that have moved to our city constitute an impact on services much greater than that of a residential home. The fire department continues to respond reliably and effectively to all of these calls with a current staffing of 13. At that level we are still able to get to all calls and maintain the city’s current ISO rating of 5, while surrounding areas are going to a 7 or even a 9. With the layoff the city now directs us to do this with staffing of 12.
The Chehalis firefighters ask the council to not eliminate the thirteenth firefighter position.
The Local invites the council to enter into a dialogue to seek additional efficiencies and funding sources to provide fire and EMS (services) to the city of Chehalis. Whether through meeting by committee or the whole council, we seek a more proactive partnership based on a transparent understanding of the problems and potential solutions. Combined we have over 200 years of experience providing fire and EMS protection to this community. As a department we have been doing it since 1893. With all due respect to Mr. Dawes statement regarding budgeting for equipment, we maintain the equipment, we operate it, we know the score where replacement is concerned, but empty engines don’t respond to calls. We ask that you please utilize the experts that you have in this field, namely the Chehalis firefighters, when analyzing the best ways to deliver fire and EMS services to the citizens of Chehalis.
•••
Read the story from Tuesday Aug. 24, 2010, “News brief: Job cuts announced for Chehalis police, fire departments” here
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