CAMANO ISLAND – Island County fire officials will ask voters in May to approve a $10 million bond to rebuild and renovate Camano Island’s five fire stations.
Island County Fire Protection District 1’s Camano Island stations are outdated, too small and badly in need of repair, officials said.
“They’re going to fall down if there’s an earthquake,” said Steve Lich, a District 1 fire commissioner and spokesman. “It’s getting more and more urgent. It needed to happen several years ago.”
None of the buildings meets seismic standards, Lich said.
Three major earthquakes have shaken the Puget Sound region since 1949. In 2001, the 6.8-magnitude Nisqually earthquake caused extensive damage.
Camano Island residents will vote on May 15 whether to approve $10 million in bonds at a rate of 15 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value. That’s about $45 a year for a $300,000 home.
Snohomish County Fire District 4 also will go to voters on April 24 for more money, Chief Mark Collins said.
That district, which serves Snohomish and surrounding areas, is trying to raise about $1.2 million through a levy to pay for more emergency rescue service, he said.
On Camano Island, officials want to replace the Madrona station, on the island’s northwest side; remodel the Terry’s Corner and Country Club stations; build a new water tank for the south-end station at Mabana; and tear down the Camano City station, built in the 1940s, and replace it with a satellite station, Lich said.
The remodels are necessary to accommodate more overnight shifts and new, larger fire and rescue equipment, he said.
“Fire trucks are a lot bigger than they used to be,” Lich said.
A fire truck is essentially a big toolbox, he said. Today’s equipment must carry larger water hoses, accommodate more firefighters and more powerful engines.
Renovations will bring the buildings up to earthquake standards, he said.
The district also just updated its communication equipment with a $450,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, he said.
The new radios will bring the department into compliance with federal regulations and make it easier for Camano Island crews to talk to Snohomish County officials in an emergency.
Reporter Jackson Holtz: 425-339-3437 or jholtz@heraldnet.com.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
