The city of Medical Lake has received a possible glimpse into its Fire Department’s future.
At the Oct. 7 City Council meeting, Emergency Services Consulting International (ESCI) senior associates Lane Wintermule and Don Bivins gave a presentation on the findings from evaluations they conducted on the Airway Heights, Medical Lake and Spokane Fire District 10 fire departments.
Earlier this year, the three departments hired an outside consultant to not only evaluate all three agencies, but also recommend the different ways they could consolidate services.
Wintermule explained that he and Bivins studied the similarities and differences between the three agencies. They also interviewed fire department officials, city leaders and community members.
“We looked at service level, infrastructure, finance, safety and training,” Wintermule said. “These departments have a strong collaborative relationship. They are conducting the same training within their departments. Units are more effective when they are training together.”
In regards to consolidation, Bivins suggested that Fire District 10 annex the Airway Heights Fire Department while Medical Lake would enter into a contract for services.
Bivins explained that Medical Lake could not be annexed because it has no physical boundary to Fire District 10.
Besides annexation, Bivins also suggested a regional fire authority (RFA) between Airway Heights and Fire District 10. He said the two agencies would share control of the RFA while Medical Lake would contract for services.
“Spokane Fire District 3 has a border around the city (Medical Lake),” Bivins said. “If you entered into a RFA without talking to them, it might create problems.”
According to Bivins, one way to make Medical Lake more than just a contract participant is to create a land bridge and make a physical boundary between the city and Fire District 10.
“Another option is to include Fire District 3 in the RFA,” Bivins said. “It’s a long-term strategy, but it’s worth pursuing.”
Wintermule said he and Bivins reached out to Fire District 3 and asked if they were included in the evaluation with the other three departments.
“They (Fire District 3) said there was discussion between them and Spokane Fire District 10 to bring them in, but it never went beyond that,” Wintermule said.
Medical Lake City Councilman Howard Jorgensen asked about the specifics of a contract between Medical Lake and the other agencies. Wintermule said the departments could negotiate the structure of the contract.
Bivins and Wintermule suggested that policy makers meet and discuss the different options.
“If each agency does this, they can come together later and say ‘this is where we are’ and discuss the next steps,” Wintermule said.
Al Stover can be reached at al@cheneyfreepress.com.
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