Valley Fire District Will Add New Firefighters, Equipment

Valley Fire District will get two new firefighters, a new rescue unit and a new pumper next year.

On Wednesday, fire commissioners approved a $13.3 million budget designed to meet federal regulations, said Fire Chief Pat Humphries.

Federal law effective in March will require a minimum of four firefighters responding to a fire before any of them can enter a burning building.

For every two that enter the blaze, two must stay outside for support.

Currently, Valley Fire has only one backup outside for every two firefighters who go inside a burning building.

The two new positions will cost a total of $94,870. With the new positions, Valley Fire will have at least three firefighters at each station every shift, Humphries said.

“The federal government is driving our budget.” Humphries said. “It’s frustrating.”

Humphries said he fears the public won’t understand why it may appear firefighters aren’t doing their job when they arrive at a blaze.

They may simply be waiting for support to arrive.

Next year’s budget is up 13 percent from this year’s $11.7 million budget.

One big increase is the amount spent on capital.

Fire officials will purchase a $341,000 pumper/ladder to replace a 1983 pumper at Station 7 in the Dishman area.

They’ll also buy a $225,000 rescue unit, which will run out of the station at Sprague and University. That rescue unit will be larger than the current one and have a compressor for air cylinders, so firefighters can fill the tanks they carry on their backs at the scene.

The district also plans to add two Suburban-type paramedic trucks they didn’t buy with this year’s budget.

Fire Commissioner Tom Gregory, a fiscal conservative elected in 1997, said he thinks the equipment and the additional firefighters are necessary.

“The people expect top response and we want to give them that,” he said. “But we’ve got to get a handle on these increased regulations that the state and federal governments are levying on us.”

At Wednesday’s board meeting, commissioners approved 4-1 a resolution that allows them to increase the amount they collect from the general levy.

They will collect an additional $167,000 throughout their taxing district to pay for more equipment and cover the cost of meeting safety regulations and labor negotiations.

Gregory opposed the resolution, saying taxes collected shouldn’t increase more than the cost of living.

Others, however, say there’s a lot the fire district must purchase during the next few years. That’s why they approved this one-time increase.

“It’s to finish off approving the equipment the board already OK’d,” said commissioner Ron Schmidt.