Fire districts hosting merger info sessions

After nearly a year of testing the waters through a functional administrative consolidation, the proposed merger of Snohomish County Fire District 3 in Monroe and Fire District 7 in Clearview will be on the Aug. 2 primary election ballot as Proposition 1.

Monroe District 3 is the merging district, meaning if approved, it would be absorbed into District 7. In order to help voters make an informed decision on what a merger would mean for them, Districts 3 and 7 will hold a series of informational public meetings to address concerns and answer questions.-á

The first session is 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, July 13, at the Tualco Grange Hall, 18933 Tualco Road in Monroe; the second at 8 a.m. on Monday, July 18, at Monroe Fire Station 31 off of Village Way and the third at noon Tuesday, July 19, also at Station 31.

It's all about combining resources to improve efficiencies, lower taxes and enhance service to the public, said Monroe Fire Chief Jamie Silva. District 3 has long been exploring options to maintain its level of service to residents, after property values fell by 35 percent during the last recession. Eight-four percent of fire district revenues come from property taxes, Silva said, so the hit was significant.

Cutting firefighters wasn't an option.

"Our nearest mutual aid is Sultan, Duvall, Snohomish or Lake Roesiger, which are a minimum of 12 to 15 minutes away,GÇ¥ Silva said. "We knew that cutting people wasn't the answer.GÇ¥

District 7 Chief Gary Meek reported a similar hit in his district, which serves the Clearview and Maltby areas, along with the city of Mill Creek. Should the merger pass, District 3's 55 square miles would be combined with District 7's 52 square miles, forming one contiguous 107-mile district. The new District 7 would serve approximately 110,000 residents in south central and eastern Snohomish County.-á

The merger would lower the tax rate for Monroe residents from a projected $2.10 per $1,000 to $1.98, based on 2016 assessed valuations.-á

Fire districts 3 and 7 have a long history of working together; the two agencies have jointly operated a shop specializing in the mechanical maintenance and repair of fire apparatus and equipment since 1996. The repair shop at Monroe's Station 31 is available to any fire service agency, and its mechanics are certified to work on emergency vehicles.

The two districts collaberated again last summer, this time implementing a Community Resource Paramedic (CRP) position, which they share with District 8 in Lake Stevens. It was around that same time that the merger discussion began in earnest, progressing over a series of public and joint commission meetings. The process cleared a major hurdle last year, when the firefighter unions agreed to combine.

Commissioners for both districts signed an interlocal agreement (ILA) that combined administration of the two departments, which took effect on Jan. 1. The functional consolidation has been extremely successful, Silva said, as the two departments were perfectly suited in terms of filling gaps and enhancing weaknesses.

"You couldn't have drawn a better plan of where our strengths and weaknesses were matched to theirs,GÇ¥ Silva said.-á

Monroe has a robust fire prevention division, including a fire marshal and fire inspector, which they are now able to share with District 7. District 3 lacked accounting and human resources departments; a gap District 7 was able to fill. Additionally, the two agencies began sharing public information officer and public safety educator Heather Chadwick.

Chadwick played an integral role during the recent Gold Bar wildfire, dispersing crucial evacuation information to the media.

There have been other benefits.

Prior to the consolidation, Monroe staffer Elsa Sexton had been fulfilling the role of the accountant, despite her extensive training in Geographic Information System (GIS) mapping. The consolidation process has allowed her to work full time on GIS, benefiting public safety for both departments.

Fire prevention, Emergency Medical Services (EMS) and the training division shifted to District 7's previous headquarters in Clearview, while the administrative staff relocated to Monroe's Station 31.

Once settled, the command structure began to resemble what it would look like should the merger take place, including one chief and three assistant chiefs. If the merger passes, the new organizational structure would become permanent, with Meek taking the helm as the fire chief, Silva as the Assistant Chief of Administration, Eric Andrews as Assistant Chief of Operations and Steve Guptill as Assistant Chief of Support Services.

The transition has allowed each of them to concentrate on their areas of expertise and has come together in a remarkably smooth fashion, said longtime District 3 Commissioner Bill Snyder.

"This doesn't happen very often. Lots of districts have tried to do these kinds of things, and they get into all kinds of tangles,GÇ¥ Snyder said. "This is really working out well, and the problems that we've come up against are insignificant.GÇ¥

The two organizations have melded seamlessly, Silva said, fitting together as handily as puzzle pieces.

Meek agreed, adding that erasing boundaries and having a broader perspective enables them to provide a higher level of service to taxpayers without increasing costs. He said that so far, the consolidation process has gone exceptionally well, succeeding where others have failed.-á

"For these to come together well is like the perfect storm ' and we're in that perfect storm,GÇ¥ Meek said. "We have four different bargaining groups that all agree that this is good to do.GÇ¥

In addition to the four unions, fire commissioners from both districts have largely been in favor of the merger, despite the fact that five commissioner positions will eventually be eliminated should the merger take place.

Fire Districts 3 and 7 are each governed by a five-person elected commission, tasked with analyzing and approving all expenditures involving tax dollars. The commissioners serve six-year terms, and would combine to form one commission if the proposal is approved. At the onset of the merger, there would be 10 commissioners, decreasing over time as terms end.

"It just makes a lot of sense,GÇ¥ said District 7 Commissioner Guy Palumbo. "It's efficient, it's better for the taxpayers, it lowers taxes and reduces duplication.GÇ¥

Longtime District 3 Commissioner Dean Schwartz has taken a cautious stance in regard to the merger, volunteering to pen the "Argument AgainstGÇ¥ statement that appears in the voter pamphlet. In the statement, he wrote that during preliminary merger talks, District 7 indicated that it wanted to shift paramedics from Monroe's Station 32, which is located near Wagner Lake. He said he was concerned a transition like that could lead to the eventual closure of Station 32.

According to the district, Station 32 is a critical part of Monroe's fire response network, particularly due to its location north of the railroad tracks. There are currently no plans to remove paramedics or close the station, the district said, as its closure could have an adverse impact on public safety.

The merger idea isn't new or unique, Snyder said.

"The trend now is for fire departments or fire districts to join together. We're not doing something in an isolated fashion,GÇ¥ he said. "This is a trend, and it will continue to move in this direction.GÇ¥

Primary election ballots will be mailed on July 14.

Monroe Station 31 is at 163 Village Court in Monroe. For more information about the merger, visit www.monroefire.org/index.cfm or www.firedistrict7.com.