Asotin County Fire chief: Rising calls are straining fire district
Board of Commissioners to consider EMS levy lid lift today
Asotin County Fire District officials are meeting today to consider placing a levy lid lift on the August ballot.
Chief Noel Hardin said the district, which covers unincorporated areas of the county, is struggling to keep pace with growing emergency medical service demands and rising costs.
Ninety percent of the 3,000 annual calls the district answers are EMS-related, Hardin said in a news release. That is a 50% increase in demand since voters last approved the EMS levy in 2016.
“More calls require more funding for personnel, equipment, and supplies,” he said. “Right now, we are struggling to maintain the service levels our community needs.”
The board of fire district commissioners will discuss the issue at 5 p.m. today at the fire station in the Clarkston Heights. Residents are encouraged to take part in the conversation, Hardin said.
If the board opts to ask for the levy lid lift, ballots would go out this summer prior to the August primary election, and voters who live in the district will have the final say.
The proposed 14-cent lid lift would cost the owner of a $300,000 home an additional $3.50 per month, or $42 per year. Residents who meet income and eligibility requirements would still qualify for property tax exemptions.
The EMS levy, originally set at $0.50 per $1,000 of assessed property value, has dropped to $0.36 due to state revenue limits. Meanwhile, the cost of essential equipment has skyrocketed — ambulances have increased from $200,000 to over $300,000, and fire engines have more than doubled to $1.2 million, Hardin said.
Restoring the EMS levy to the previous amount approved by voters would allow the fire district to address staffing needs, replace aging ambulances, and purchase lifesaving equipment like cardiac monitors and defibrillators, according to the news release.
More information can be found online at acfd1.org or by calling the Asotin County Fire District at (509) 758-5181. The fire station is located at 2377 Appleside Blvd.
