April 26, 2023

GIG HARBOR (WA)—The Board of Commissioners of Gig Harbor Fire & Medic One (GHFMO) has voted to place a General Levy renewal on the August ballot. The renewal is not a new tax on residents, rather a renewal of the existing levy to maintain staffing and equipment necessary to respond to emergencies across the District.

After a decade of sustained community growth, the Fire Protection District has experienced a rising need for emergency response services. During that same period of population growth, the District has seen critical safety equipment, including breathing apparatus and fire engines, reach manufacturer’s lifetime service limits and need replacement.

“Everyone at Gig Harbor Fire & Medic One is passionate about supporting our community by providing swift and skilled emergency response,” said District Commission Chairman, Joe Urvina. “The renewal of the general levy to fund operations and equipment is crucial to honoring our commitments to maintain and improve our services.”

The measure is the third and final step in the District’s planned funding measure updates, including the capital facilities bond, the Emergency Medical Service (EMS) Levy renewal, and now, the General Levy renewal. After broad public support for both the bond and EMS Levy renewal in 2022, passage of the General Levy will ensure adequate funding for the District’s overall operations.  The General Levy provides critical funding for the District’s day-to-day operations, as well as funds to maintain the District’s vehicle fleet, facilities, and safety equipment.

District residents can visit http://www.gigharborfire.org/general-levy for more information and to view a schedule of upcoming open-house events.

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Pierce County Fire Protection District No. 5 (Gig Harbor Fire & Medic One) provides fire and life safety services to 53,000 people over 54 square miles. Governed by a five-member Board of Commissioners, the GHFMO employs 123 uniformed firefighters, with 24/7 service from five locations across the District.

April 17, 2023

GIG HARBOR (WA)—Gig Harbor Fire & Medic One (GHFMO) has released its annual performance report, showing consistent response times in the face of continued community growth. GHFMO responded to over 6,500 emergency calls in 2022, a 10% increase over 2021.  2022-Annual-Performance-Report-FINAL.pdf  (gigharborfire.org)

Response times, a measure of how quickly Fire or EMS staff can respond to an incident, remained consistent in Gig Harbor’s municipal areas (those within the city limits of Gig Harbor). Our engine and ambulance crews improved their “rural” and “remote” response times, achieving agency goals more than 85% of the time. Research shows that quicker overall responses improve patient outcomes and reduce property damage from fires.

“We are pleased to see that, despite continued population growth, we have been able to maintain adequate turnout and response times and even improved our response times when traveling further from stations,” said Chief Dennis Doan. “We constantly strive to improve, working towards better outcomes through faster response times. This review helps us track our progress and provide transparency with District residents about our performance. Everyone at GHFMO is passionate about the work of caring for residents in times of crisis and protecting homes and businesses.”

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Pierce County Fire Protection District No. 5 (Gig Harbor Fire & Medic One) provides fire and life safety services to 53,000 people over 54 square miles. Governed by a five-member Board of Commissioners, the GHFMO employs 123 uniformed firefighters, with 24/7 service from five locations across the district.