Fire Levy
2024 Levy – Proposition No. 1
2025-2030 Budget Goals
Manson is a fast-growing community. Fire protection needs to keep pace with the growth. No surprise to anyone, our greatest risk is wildfire to our wildland urban interface and a rare event where fire moves from structure to structure in the more urban areas. With these risks in mind, more needs to be done in training and equipment replacement. Facility improvements are not in the levy request as it is intended to be funded by legislative sources.
Current 2024 levy is 0.41004 per thousand. The levy request of 0.75000 per thousand for 2025. The dollar amount received in the 2025 reestablishes a new base for future years.
Strategy Plan
The Commissioners and Chief of Chelan County Fire District 5 have been working diligently on a long-term strategy in the Fire District for many months now. This strategy stems from a risk assessment done every 2 to 3 years assessing the risks the community faces on a matrix evaluating probability and impact. Wildland Fire threatening the Fire District homes is the highest risk. Commercial Structure fires are a close second. In each risk item the assessment looks at Training, Apparatus, Equipment, Pre-Fire Plans and Prevention to mitigate the risk.
Projects
1. Engine-51 replacement, we have about 69% of the funding now
2. Deputy Chief/Training Officer; take current half-time to full-time
3. Volunteer Firefighter nominal compensation, incentivized certification and participation
4. Brush truck replacement; refurbished used
5. Wildland Urban Interface engine to protect homes in wildfire
6. Volunteer Coordinator; recruiting volunteers, managing resident firefighters
7. Command truck refurbish or replace; unreliable pump unit
8. Increased operating costs for grant funded facilities
9. Contingency funds for construction if grant funds fall short
Levy Impacts to Homeowners
Levy Questions?
Arnold Baker, Fire Chief
Phone: (509) 687-3222
Email: arnoldb@mansonfire.org
Report Card
In the 2014 Levy, the Fire District had collected 0.46112/thousand for 2014 and the
voters approved a 10-year levy starting at 0.89000/thousand in 2015, expiring end of 2024. The 2014 Levy specifically stated the additional funding would be used for equipment/apparatus replacement, volunteer incentives & stipends, and operating & short-term costs.
2014 Levy Accomplishments
• Replaced an aging water tender in 2015 that would provide superior support to
structural and wildland fire operations. (grant funding assistance)
• Purchased a 2015 F-150 pickup to transport people to meetings, carry hose and
supplies to and from a fire and provide an additional vehicle for fire officers to work from
during wildland fires. 50,000 miles so far
• Replace the 1-ton chassis in the command truck for more reliability.
• Began staffing the command truck 24/7 with volunteer officers in addition to the chief and the use of stipends for those officers.
• Incentives for 20 firefighter certifications that benefit insurance ratings.
• Incentives for firefighters regularly attend training and response.
• Volunteer compensation that provides for volunteers taking time away from their
families to serve as structural firefighter, wildland firefighter, Emergency Medical Technician, driver/operators, or support.
• Replaced all Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA) and breathing air compressor/ cascade storage (grant funding assistance)
• Replaced the chassis (2-ton) on Wildland Urban Interface truck. Increased reliability, ease to drive and safety.
• Retired a 1971 Engine and replaced with a 2001 Aerial Platform. Increased pumping capacity, and the aerial stream credit with WA Survey & Rating Bureau.
• Replace hydraulic rescue tools with more powerful modern battery powered over hydraulic tools; spreader, cutter and ram.
• An active schedule for replacing all firefighter Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) (also referred to as bunker gear) Currently PPE is nearing $5000 per set and has a 10-year life. PPE is a major line item in our annual budget.
• All mobile and portable radios have been replaced (RiverCom 911 funding assistance)
• An active schedule for replacing fire hose. District inventory of 3 miles of hose.
• Currently building a structural training center (Chelan County funding assistance)
• The Fire District is in design phase for resident quarters/training classroom building (Legislature funded with Capital Budget through Dept of
Commerce) (Intent for same funding for construction phase)
With the help of our voters we accomplished all we had planned to do in the 10-year
Levy period. Because of aggressively going after grants, we were able to do even more.