Valley Fire Will Cut Loose From Agreement With Millwood

When the current mutual-aid contract with the Spokane Valley Fire District ends, Millwood’s volunteer fire department will be on its own.

Valley Fire commissioners announced Wednesday that they will end the automatic aid agreement with Millwood on Jan. 1, 2002.

After that date, Valley Fire will provide aid to the Millwood Fire Department only when it is requested. Valley Fire will also stop training Millwood’s volunteer firefighters.

“We’d just assumed it would be ongoing,” said Millwood town councilman Glenn Baily. “I think it’s been working well for both sides.”

But Valley Fire commissioners said the agreement helps Millwood more than Valley Fire.

“For years I’ve been against this contract with Millwood,” said Valley Fire Commissioner Ron Schmidt. “Millwood is getting a free ride. They’re going to have to take care of themselves.”

Millwood and Valley Fire signed the present three-year “first response agreement” in 1999. It called for automatic aid, which means that five minutes after an alarm goes off in Millwood, Valley Fire automatically responds.

The agreement also called for Valley Fire to provide training for Millwood’s volunteer department. For these services, Millwood agreed to pay $17,000 each year to Valley Fire.

None of the Millwood town council members had seen a copy of the letter sent on Wednesday by Valley Fire to Millwood Mayor Jeanne Batson. They were unsure of the effect on the town. Neither Batson nor Millwood Fire Chief Bill Clifford could be reached for comment.

“We’ll have to see if they want more money,” said Millwood councilman Dan Mork.

It’s likely the town council will discuss the matter at its next meeting on Dec. 4.

Millwood “has problems maintaining a volunteer force,” Valley Fire Chief Pat Humphries said.

Valley Fire training officer Larry Rider, described Millwood’s department as “always in flux.”

“I honestly believe in not taking the taxpayers’ money to subsidize another district or city,” said Valley Fire commissioner Tom Gregory.

The issue of paying for Valley Fire aid raised ire in 1999. In a guest column in the Valley Voice, Mayor Batson accused Valley Fire of wanting to snatch up Millwood’s tax base through annexation.

Terminating the fire agreement is not part of an attempt to annex the town to the fire district, Humphries said. Annexation to the fire district would have to come from voters within Millwood, not from Valley Fire, he said.

But Valley Fire officials have made it clear they don’t want the new city of Liberty Lake to ask for an agreement similar to what Millwood has had with the fire district.

Valley Fire wants Liberty Lake and any other new cities to annex to Valley Fire, not contract with the district, Humphries said.

This sidebar appeared with the story: BUDGET OK’D Fire truck loan

Spokane Valley Fire District commissioners on Wednesday approved a budget for 2001 and decided to take out a loan for a new fire truck.

Commissioners voted to finance a $700,000 pumper-ladder truck through a private leasing corporation.

First Municipal Leasing Corp. of Golden, Colo., offered Valley Fire a 5-year financing rate of at or under 4.1 percent.

“I don’t think we could beat that rate,” said Valley Fire Chief Pat Humphries.

Bids on the truck will be finalized by mid-December.

Commissioners also approved a $14.3 million budget for 2001. This year’s budget was $13.7 million.

The 2001 budget keeps staffing at current levels, Humphries said.