Police, fire costs for the president's visit

When President Barack Obama came to town on Feb. 17, local police and fire departments were asked to provide staff -- and lots of it.

Public safety for presidential visits is organized by the Secret Service. In the days leading up to Obama stepping on the tarmac at Paine Field, Snohomish County cops and firefighters were not allowed to say much about their involvement.

Still, local police officers, firefighters, medics and their vehicles were highly visible throughout the event.

We were curious how much it cost, and for who. It appears every department paid its own tab.

Here's a list by agency. Some agencies provided both on-duty staffing costs and overtime costs, and others provided only overtime, as indicated below.

LAW ENFORCEMENT
• Washington State Patrol: Most troopers had adjusted schedules, so there was little overtime. There was some overtime for planning meetings. Total cost is pending.

• Snohomish County Sheriff's Office: 34 people worked at a cost of $19,354.41, with minimal overtime.

• Everett Police: 38.5 hours in overtime, valued at about $2,200. Most officers who worked the event weren't on overtime.

• Mukilteo Police: $1,583 for two officers working overtime, 1 on-duty sergeant and two hours of police chief planning time.

FIRE
• Everett Fire: $2,850 for four paramedics and two paramedic vehicles.

• Mukilteo Fire: $425.48 in extra labor costs for one more paramedic than would normally be working.

SNOHOMISH COUNTY GOVERNMENT
An estimated $2,340 in overtime costs for maintenance, operations and firefighting staff. Also, about $150 in fuel costs.

That means the presidential visit cost local public safety budgets about $30,000, at minimum. Agency spokespeople say final numbers could take a few more weeks.