Emergency response at risk, Lake Stevens fire chief says

Published 11:12 pm Monday, July 21, 2008

LAKE STEVENS — This area is growing so fast it’s starting to outstrip the ability of firefighters to respond to emergencies, according to one fire chief.

That’s why Gary Faucett, chief of Lake Stevens Fire District 8, wants to talk to developers and city officials about making sure fire districts get compensated well enough to hire the people they need to put out fires and intervene in heart attacks.

“It has affected response times,” Faucett said. The district did not have figures readily available Monday to support the chief’s position.

District officials planned to talk to the Lake Stevens City Council and Mayor Vern Little about the issue at a workshop Monday night.

Unlike cities, state law does not allow fire districts to force developers to pay fees to offset the costs of service to new areas of homes. The law does allow fire districts to ask developers to voluntarily pony up.

If a developer of four or more homes declines to contribute, fire districts can refuse to sign off on the project, Faucett said.

“That’s the leverage,” he said.

Snohomish County has a provision on the books that allows the county to charge developers a fee to cover fire protection, said Brian Snure, attorney for Fire District 8. State laws pertaining to subdivisions and the environment also allow for such compensation.

Lake Stevens has a provision that’s less specific, according to Snure.

“We’re working with the city,” Snure said. “It’s just a matter of fitting it with their own ordinances and permitting process.”

So far, most fire districts have yet to flex their muscle, either to refuse to sign off on developments or to ask cities and counties to collect on their behalf, officials said. District 8 will be the first fire district in the county to declare its intent, the chief said.

“The fire district’s not anti-growth, they just want to be involved in the process so they’re not overwhelmed by growth,” Snure said.

Lake Stevens Mayor Little said he understands the need but fears it could have the unintended effect of hurting the area’s economy.

“You’re not as sellable to development,” Little said.

He said he wants to know more details before drawing a conclusion.

“That’s my only concern, is understanding the details of what this would do,” the mayor said. “We’re going to have to figure it out between the fire district and the city and see what makes good sense. I think we’ve got more work to do.”

Reporter Bill Sheets: 425-339-3439 or sheets@heraldnet.com.