Mill Creek sees need for more firefighters

Published 11:16 pm Monday, May 25, 2009

MILL CREEK — By paying to have no more than three firefighters on duty at a time, Mill Creek’s only fire station did not respond to 22 percent of its alarms last year.

Backup crews from neighboring stations outside the city responded to those calls, according to city documents.

“The response times are still pretty good, but clearly they’re not as good as if we had a unit right here in Mill Creek,” Mayor Terry Ryan said.

The city’s firefighters are provided under contract by Fire District 7, and paid for by city funds.

A proposal from the fire district would add firefighters to Mill Creek’s lone fire station. The proposal is being considered by the City Council as part of the 2010 emergency management services levy.

Adding firefighters to Mill Creek’s station could significantly increase tax bills in this city of more than 17,000. Residents of Mill Creek currently pay about $500,000 a year for fire service.

The problem in Mill Creek is that when the fire station’s ambulance has responded to a call, there aren’t enough city firefighters to respond to additional calls, according to documents.

Putting five or six firefighters on duty at a time in Mill Creek would increase the station’s ability to respond to all calls, officials with the city and fire district said.

Staffing a fourth firefighter would cost an additional $390,000 a year, or roughly $56 a year for the owner of a $430,000 home. That is the city’s median home price. Staffing a fifth firefighter would cost $690,000 annually, and a sixth firefighter would cost $990,000. That would cost residents $99 or $142 a year, respectively.

Putting five or six firefighters on duty might be too expensive, Ryan said.

“I just don’t see it in the cards,” he said. “I just don’t think the city is going to be able to afford that.”

Even staffing four firefighters has advantages.

For instance, a three-person fire crew cannot fight a building fire by itself.

A “two-in, two-out” safety policy requires that in a building fire at least two firefighters go inside the building, and at least two more stay outside, said Gary Meek, the assistant fire chief for Fire District 7.

Generally speaking, three firefighters probably aren’t enough, officials said.

“Five (firefighters) is the optimum number. Six is the best,” Meek said.

Agreements that require nearby firefighters to respond to Mill Creek emergencies mean that last year’s response statistics aren’t much cause for concern, said Tim Burns, Mill Creek’s city manager.

Nevertheless, something should be done, Ryan said.

“We’re making do with what we have right now, but I can see and understand the argument for a little more manning,” he said. “While we don’t have many fires in Mill Creek, you got to be ready for it.”

Chris Fyall: 425-339-3447, cfyall@heraldnet.com.