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Close Window Twisp, Fire District 6 working on fire service agreement By Ann McCreary The Town of Twisp is proposing a month-to-month contract withOkanogan County Fire District 6 for fire protection, until alonger-term contract with the fire district can be negotiated. Faced with the recent resignation of Twisp"s fire chief totake a job with District 6, and ongoing difficulties recruitingvolunteer firefighters, town officials say the ultimate solutionwill be annexation of Twisp into District 6 for fire protection. In the meantime, the town"s fire engine has been taken out ofservice due to equipment problems, and the town and the firedistrict have been attempting for several weeks to develop acontract for District 6 fire protection. District 6 Chief Don Waller has provided verbal assurance thatDistrict 6, headquartered in Winthrop, will provide protectionunder an existing mutual aid agreement with Twisp until a contractis in place. Despite at least a half-dozen meetings in recent weeks, however,the town and fire district have been unable to agree on a contract. The principal disagreement is the length of the contract. District6 initially asked the town to agree to a contract through the endof the year. The fire district proposed the town turn over thefunds remaining in the fire department budget, about $28,000, toDistrict 6. The district would use that money to provide fireprotection to Twisp for the remainder of the year. Twisp Mayor Soo Ing-Moody and Town Council members, however, havesaid they want time to consider financial and legal ramificationsof such an agreement, and want a month-by-month contract while theylook into those issues. "The citizens of Twisp have invested in fire protectionequipment, a station, training. It is absolutely critical andresponsible that the council give it due diligence, that theinvestment not be given away," Ing-Moody said last week. The town"s fire chief, Jesse Fuller, urged the council lastweek to move quickly on signing a contract with the fire district."It"s really hard for us, there are a lot of things inlimbo," Fuller said. Fuller said he was "discouraged by the (council"s) lackof action" and concerned about firefighter safety andequipment deficiencies in the Twisp department, which he saidcurrently has 10 volunteers. The engine owned by the town waspulled out of service last month because air packs lacked propercertification. "At this point we cannot function as a city firedepartment," Fuller told the council. Council members Clint Estes and Bob Lloyd met this week with Wallerand District 6 Commissioner Jerry Palm to discuss a contract. Estessaid he hopes a monthly contract will be ready for the three-memberDistrict 6 commission when it meets on May 14. "There are some numbers we have to gather to go into thatcontract. We are gathering that information now," Estes said. Ing-Moody said questions about insurance, operating costs of theTwisp station, stipends for volunteers, and grant funds for townequipment need to be resolved before the town would feelcomfortable signing a long-term contract. A contract would also address the question of command at firescenes. Under the existing mutual aid agreement, Twisp firefightersare in charge unless they request that District 6 take command. Acontract would give fire scene command to District 6. "I have concerns with a 30-day contract because I don"tknow where we"re headed with it," Waller said thisweek. District 6 has four paid firefighters and 32 volunteers, andprovides coverage from Gold Creek to Mazama. The district has had amutual aid agreement with Twisp since 1997. Volunteers from Twispreceive the same training as volunteers in District 6 and respondto fires along with District 6 firefighters, and District 6firefighters respond to fires along with Twisp firefighters. "District 6 and Twisp firefighters are the same,"Waller said. "It"s confusing," Waller acknowledged. "TheTown of Twisp, per our agreement, provides firefighters and housingfor Fire District 6 equipment. The town needs a pumper and back-uppumper for the best insurance rating they can get. Fire District 6pumper acts as a back-up pumper in exchange for the Town of Twispmanning and housing it." Estes said he hopes the town and District 6 will be able to place aproposal to annex Twisp into District 6 on the November ballot.Voters in the District 6 taxing district would have to approve it,as well as Twisp voters. "We would have to design it (annexation) so it"scost-neutral," Estes said. The proposition would have to beready 90 days before the election. "We"ve got to do our homework…to get it on theballot this fall and do an adequate job of educating everybodyabout what it means," Estes said. MV News file photo by John Hanron: While Twisp and District 6negotiate a fire protection agreement, Twisp's fire engine is outof service due to questionable equipment. May 2, 2012 Date: 05-02-2012 Volume: 109 Issue: 51. We are high quality suppliers, our products such as Auto Plastic Fastener , Automotive Solar Film Manufacturer for oversee buyer. To know more, please visits Solar Guard Window Film.
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