Funding Measures Considered for 2022

December 16, 2021

[Gig Harbor, Wash.] – The Board of Fire Commissioners for Gig Harbor Fire & Medic One unanimously approved a Capital Facilities Plan (CFP) at its December 14, 2021 meeting. The CFP identifies projects, such as stations, apparatus and equipment, that need completing to improve emergency services for the Gig Harbor community.

Priority projects include building a training facility, replacing one station and renovating two others. The projects, driven by the need to improve public safety and firefighter health and safety, would require bond funding to complete.

Daily operations at Gig Harbor Fire & Medic One are funded by two levies for fire and emergency medical service. Capital needs are usually funded by voter-approved bonds.

“Saving lives and property comes down to three things: firefighters, facilities and apparatus. Some of our facilities don’t support the level of emergency response that our community requires,” said Chief Doan.

For example, the Fire District has no facility for regular live fire trainings. This means firefighters may only train on live fire once every three years and must leave the area to perfect these life and property-saving skills.  A training facility would provide a higher level of services for residents.

Replacing Station 51 in Gig Harbor, and renovating Stations 58 (Swede Hill) and 59 (Artondale) also made the list. The stations do not meet ADA requirements, or current seismic standards. The stations lack living quarters to accommodate current and projected staffing levels, and a more diverse work force.

Firefighter health and safety is also a concern. Cancer is known to be a leading cause of death among firefighters. The stations lack appropriate decontamination areas to remove soot, hydrocarbons and smoke from firefighting gear. There also is a need for space to decontaminate medical equipment after emergency medical service calls.

“We have an obligation to provide our firefighters with as safe a working environment as possible,” said Chief Doan. “We can, and must do better.”

The Gig Harbor community has grown by more than 16% since 2010. Call volumes have increased 50% in the same time period. Fire Chief Dennis Doan says that the fire district has needed to assess its facilities and coverage for some time now.

The Board of Fire Commissioners is considering placing two funding requests on the ballot in 2022. The bond for facility improvements is projected to be $0.24 per $1,000 of assessed property value, or $120 per year ($10 per month) for the owner of a $500,000 home.

The agency also needs to renew its levy for emergency medical service by the end of the year. EMS accounts for 78% of all emergency calls for the agency. Voters will be asked to renew that at the same previously-approved rate of $0.50 per $1,000. The EMS levy provides a 24-hour Paramedic response, and ambulance transport service for Gig Harbor residents.

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Pierce County Fire Protection District No. 5 (known as Gig Harbor Fire & Medic One) provides fire and life safety services to 53,000 people over 54 square miles. The Fire District responded to a high of 6,685 calls in 2020 – a 33.4% increase compared to 10 years ago. Through community support, Gig Harbor Fire & Medic One has built one of the most advanced emergency response systems in Pierce County with highly-trained personnel and rescue programs.

Public invited to learn more and comment

October 27, 2021

[Gig Harbor, Wash.] – Gig Harbor Fire & Medic One will introduce its draft Capital Facilities Plan (CFP) to the community at two upcoming meetings. The CFP identifies capital projects, such as stations, apparatus and equipment, that need completing to improve emergency services for the Gig Harbor community.

The draft CFP will be presented during the Board of Fire Commissioners meeting on Tuesday, November 9, 2021 at 5 p.m. The Board will meet to adopt the plan with changes on Tuesday, December 14, 2021 at 5 p.m. The public is encouraged to attend these meetings to learn more.

The virtual meetings can be accessed through the Fire District’s website at www.gigharborfire.org/commissioners-meetings. Community members who are unable to attend are encouraged to send comments to Fire Chief Dennis Doan at DDoan@gigharborfire.org.

The Gig Harbor community has grown by more than 16% since 2010. Call volumes have increased 50% in the same time period.

“Planning for emergency services is a critical part of what we do,” said Fire Chief Dennis Doan. “This plan has identified two key areas in need of improvement: public safety and firefighter health and safety.”

Many of the Fire District’s stations are more than 30 years old, and do not meet current ADA or seismic standards.  The structures lack living quarters to accommodate current and projected staffing levels, and a diverse work force. The inability to adequately staff these stations can make response times longer to 911 calls.

The Fire District also has no facility for regular live fire trainings. This means firefighters may only train on live fire once every three years and must leave the area to perfect these life and property-saving skills.

“This is a real concern for public safety,” said Fire Chief Doan. “We don’t want the first time a firefighter fights fire to be on your home. These are skills that need to be regularly practiced and perfected to improve the outcome for our community.”

Firefighter health and safety is also an issue. Cancer is known to be a leading cause of death among firefighters. Some stations lack decontamination areas to remove soot, hydrocarbons and smoke from firefighting gear, which are known carcinogens. Adding specialized areas also means emergency personnel can decontaminate medical equipment after emergency medical service calls. 

Daily operations at Gig Harbor Fire & Medic One are funded by two levies for fire and emergency medical service. Capital needs (such as stations, apparatus and some equipment) are usually funded by voter-approved bonds, which some of these projects will require.

“Saving lives and property depends on three things equally,” said Fire Chief Doan. “Adequate facilities, modern apparatus and equipment, and enough emergency personnel to respond. The CFP is a blueprint to show what we need to do for the first two. We will address staffing issues in a Standards of Cover report in the near future, as well.”

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Pierce County Fire Protection District No. 5 (known as Gig Harbor Fire & Medic One) provides fire and life safety services to 53,000 people over 54 square miles. The Fire District responded to a high of 6,685 calls in 2019 – a 50% increase compared to 10 years ago. Through community support, Gig Harbor Fire & Medic One has built one of the most advanced emergency response systems in Pierce County with highly-trained personnel and rescue programs.

This survey is now closed.

September 9, 2021

Gig Harbor Fire & Medic One has engaged the services of Dynamix Consulting Group, a consulting firm specializing in assisting local governments and public safety agencies, to facilitate Community Risk Assessment: Standards of Cover. This involves assessing the fire department’s current staffing, organization, and delivery of services, as well as identifying existing strengths, weaknesses, and costs in these areas. Ultimately, Gig Harbor Fire & Medic One will be presented with potential options, recommendations, and implementation strategies for structural and procedural improvements in these areas.

Community input is a critical component of evaluating the services provided by the fire department. Gig Harbor Fire & Medic One is encouraging all residents and business owners to provide their opinions on the services offered by the fire department. All individual responses will be held in strict confidence, characterized only as part of the global feedback.

Gig Harbor Fire and Medic One facilities have been closed to the public for non-essential business since early in the COVID-19 pandemic. This was done out of an abundance of caution for our citizens, visitors and employees.  Based on current guidance from local and State health authorities, we believe it is safe to re-open our facilities to non-essential business.

Our 24hr Staffed Fire Stations (see list below) will be open for walk-up EMERGENCY requests:

• Station 51 – 6711 Kimball Dr.
• Station 52 – 2217 Pt. Fosdick Dr NW
• Station 56 – 5210 144th ST NW
• Station 58 – 10302 Bujacich Rd NW
• Station 59 – 3828 62nd Ave Ct NW

NOTE: Response crews may be out of the fire station for alarms or department business. It is ALWAYS better to call 911 from your current location instead of driving to one of our station locations.

Our headquarters facility located at 10222 Bujacich Rd NW is open Monday-Friday from 8AM to 5PM, excluding Holidays. This facility will be open for general business inquiries, deliveries, and address sign pick-up.

Gig Harbor Fire and Medic One facilities are currently unable to accommodate non-emergent blood pressure checks, bicycle helmet fittings or public education classes (CPR, BLS-Healthcare Provider, Safe Sitter, etc.). These programs will be re-evaluated at a later date or as health and safety guidance changes. 

Based on current health guidance, if you are experiencing symptoms of an illness please refrain from coming to our facilities for non-essential business.  We also ask that visitors follow all current local, state and federal masking requirements.

Sincerely,

Gig Harbor Fire and Medic One