Why was Snohomish County Fire District 4 Chief Robert Merritt really fired? He was doing too good of a job running the fire district.
For more than 20 years Chief Merritt has dedicated himself to the district and the people it serves. District 4 has always been run fiscally responsibly. Professional firefighters worked the day shifts with volunteers covering nights and weekends. The cost for professional firefighters is approximately $38 per hour while volunteers’ stipend (recently cut by 60 percent) is now about $3.50 per hour.
It was back in 1999 when the first professional firefighter was elected commissioner and things began to change. Demands were made that the district must have more professional firefighters, fewer volunteers and its own paramedics. These demands were not based upon actual needs or costs but rather on “other districts do it that way, why can’t we”?
Several years have passed and the levies have failed four times. Instead of having a contingency plan, the current board, made up of two professional firefighters and their hand-picked replacement, keeps pushing levy after levy with no end in sight. Levies cost approximately $25,000 to $35,000 each.
Chief Merritt tried to set up a citizen advisory committee to garner public interest and support. The commissioners would not allow it. I believe the lack of leadership by this board of commissioners shows that professional firefighters may know how to fight fires but they do not necessarily know how to manage the finances of a multi-million dollar enterprise.
They finally have achieved their objective. Chief Merritt has been fired and with him goes all the expertise that could have rescued taxpayers from the mentality of, “we are the fire department. Give us the money and we will do with it what we want.” Wrong.
Joanne Hiersch
Snohomish
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