By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter
The inquiry into the possible creation of a super fire department along the I-5 corridor in the northern half of Lewis County is moving forward with leaders in the Twin Cities joining four fire departments in their talks.
Photo by Maleah Heldreth
Representatives from the cities of Chehalis and Centralia will meet again Nov. 17 with the fire protection agencies in their cities, rural Chehalis and the Napavine area, according to fire Lt. Laura Hanson.
They gathered Wednesday evening and identified committee members, agreed on a mission statement and set ground rules for the exploration, Hanson, of the Napavine area’s Lewis County Fire District 5, said in a news release.
Last month, Chehalis Fire Department Capt. Casey Beck, who is president of the IAFF Local 2510 representing his department’s union members, said they owe it to the citizens to at least consider the options. He said frontline firefighters seemed interested.
The reason for looking at combining jurisdictions is hope for a more cost effective way to serve the citizens, according to Beck.
Next, the multi-jurisdictional planning committee will look at statutory requirements and identify potential alternatives for delivery of fire and aid services, according to Hanson.
The agencies involved are Riverside Fire Authority, the Chehalis Fire Department, Lewis County Fire District 6 and Lewis County Fire District 5.
Riverside Fire Authority was created in January 2008 from the merging of the Centralia Fire Department and its neighboring rural Fire District 12. The consolidation was finalized with approval from voters but exploratory talks dated back to 2002.
The new committee made their mission statement public on Thursday. It is as follows:
“The mission of this multi-jurisdictional planning committee will be to evaluate each of the participating entities on an equal and unbiased format, assessing opportunities for improvements, and formulating recommendations for the elected officials to present to community stakeholders for consideration in combining jurisdictions as allowed for by RCW.”
Tags: By Sharyn L. Decker, news reporter
I wonder when the cities of Napavine, Toledo, Winlock and Vader will figure out a combined police department would save them money and provide better service for all.