Fire Department Upkeep Essential

None of us want to need the city fire department but when we do need it, we want the truck’s motor to start and the firefighters to be properly equipped when they arrive.

There is no way around it: In order to be reliable and keep up with the demands of a growing city, a fire department has to upgrade its equipment and facilities.

That is why the Sept. 14 primary election will ask Spokane voters to approve a $21.4 million bond issue.

It has been a decade since the last fire department bond issue, when the city built several fire stations and replaced some of its fire trucks. The property taxes that funded that upgrade are about to expire. Meanwhile, items that have worn out or that weren’t upgraded in 1989 are now in need of replacement.

If voters say yes, the bill will come due just as the bill is paid off from the last round of fire department upgrades. This is deliberate; by holding off new taxes until previous bonds are paid off, the city keeps taxes fairly stable. The 1989 fire levy cost 26 cents per $1,000 in property valuation. The proposed 1999 levy would cost 35 cents per $1,000. If voters approve it, property taxes would rise just $9 a year on a $100,000 home.

Here is how the money would be spent:

$4.5 million to replace some trucks and modernize others. A number of Spokane’s front-line trucks are from model year 1977 or older. Many cities replace fire trucks every 12 to 15 years. A quarter-century of wear is stretching our luck. Emergency vehicles must be reliable on an instant’s notice.

$3 million for equipment. Breathing units and fire-resistant uniforms for Spokane’s firefighters were replaced with the 1989 levy but are wearing out. The department’s computerized dispatch system also is a decade old and must be upgraded; new features in modern dispatch equipment would improve efficiency and speed when deploying trucks to emergencies.

$12.6 million for facilities. A cramped old fire station in a booming area east of North Division would be replaced, with a facility large enough to hold a needed ladder truck. Also, the city plans a consolidated emergency dispatch and training center that will serve several agencies under one roof, saving money and improving services for them all - and, of course, for the taxpayers.

This bond issue is basic upkeep for an essential service. The Spokesman-Review recommends the public vote yes to keep Spokane safe.