Fire Chief
Josh Erskine
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Consideration of a Contract for Service
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November 27th, 2023: The Board of Fire Commissioners voted to implement an Interlocal Agreement (ILA) for Administrative Services with Eastside Fire & Rescue effective January 1st, 2024. There has been no further action on potential Contract for Services. We will provide more information when it is available.
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​October 11th, 2023: Duvall - KCFD45 was notified by the Redmond Fire Department that they have officially withdrawn from consideration for a contract for service with Duvall - KCFD45. At this time, we have no further information. Please check back for further updates. To view the letter from Redmond Fire, click here.
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What's being proposed:
The Board of Fire Commissioners voted at the May 17th, 2023 meeting that the District proceed with a contract for services with one of our partner agencies – we will be asking a larger fire agency to provide emergency response for our community. This process started at the beginning of this year, and through several months of public meetings, and discussion with the candidates. Two agencies out of three responding proposals were selected to proceed in the process, Eastside Fire & Rescue and Redmond Fire. The chosen agency will assume operational control of Duvall Fire District 45 for a period of between 5 to 10 years, with a focus on a longer term integration in the future. Duvall Fire personnel will transition to the regional fire agency and both active Duvall fire stations will remain staffed. The contract for services specifies that there will be no reduction in operational staffing, response times, or resources. The board of commissioners would still exist in a strategic supervisory role for the district-in partnership with the selected organization.
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The purpose of adopting a regional fire service model is to maintain or enhance current levels of service while balancing the shared responsibility for long-term, cost-effective fire and emergency medical service delivery. A regional fire services model would allow the District to offer even stronger fire and emergency medical services to the Duvall community, with more cohesion, more consistent leadership, and a deeper bench of resources, specialty services, and growth opportunities.
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Our fire department began as a volunteer group of firefighters and has evolved over the past several decades to a highly competent, well trained, and regionally recognized group of full time, career firefighters, a small but important volunteer component, and dedicated administrative staff. The members of the District have a stellar community reputation of keeping Duvall and the surrounding areas safe. The District is proud of our dedicated fire staff and wants to ensure they remain an integral part of our community through a fire services model that provides the greatest support, training, and professional development opportunities.
What would this mean for Duvall:
The safety and wellbeing of our community has always been the top priority for Fire District 45. The rapid growth in our region, increasing burdens and demands on the fire service, and mandated training requirements have made operating as an independent district more challenging.
Calls to the Duvall Fire Department today are much different than even a few decades ago. Originally created to specifically address fire emergencies, the fire department today covers emergency medical services, hazmat services, special rescue, water rescue and recovery services, mobile integrated health, wildland fire operations and more. Duvall 45 has had mutual aid agreements and partnerships with Eastside Fire & Rescue and Redmond fire for many years. Currently Duvall 45 is part of training consortium with ESF&R, and utilizes Paramedic resources from Redmond Fire. Partnerships are not new to the fire service and are evolving to be fundamental to operating a department or district. Contracting for service is the fiscally responsible choice for our taxpayers and will allow our firefighters to become even more adept and proficient at an all hazards approach to emergency calls. Adopting a regional fire service model would expand the expertise and resources of a larger, integrated fire agency directly within the Duvall community. Under a regional model, the District would continue to control service levels, staffing, tax, fee, and levy limits and allow both fire stations to remain open, meeting or exceeding current services levels and allow for potential cost savings.
What's ahead:
The Board of Fire Commissioners will continue to review proposals from Eastside Fire & Rescue and Redmond Fire to provide fire and emergency services to Duvall. Once the partner agency has been notified, we will begin to work toward shared staffing, training requirements, and the logistics and timeline for integration. The district realizes this is an important decision but has come to realize that our future depends upon a responsible, well thought out partnership to ensure we can continue to innovate, serve, and protect in the decades ahead.
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Frequently Asked Questions
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What is a Contract for Service?
A Contract for Service basically means KCFD45 will pay a larger fire agency to provide emergency response for our community.
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Will there be any reduction in service?
No. Both stations will remain open and fully staffed. The contract for services specifies that there will be no reduction in operational staffing, response times, or resources.
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Will my taxes go up?
No, not at this time. But as we all know inflationary pressures are causing all costs to increase and increasing taxes may become necessary in the future. Under a regional model, the District would continue to control service levels, staffing, tax, fee, and levy limits and allow both fire stations to remain open, meeting or exceeding current services levels and allow for potential cost savings.
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