HERMISTON, Ore.-The Umatilla County Fire District #1 (UCFD#1) Board has referred a local option levy to the ballot this November.
Measure 30-175 is a proposed five-year levy that would provide funding for UCFD#1 to retain 16 paramedic and firefighter/EMT positions that are currently funded by a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) SAFER grant, which is set to expire in 2027.
The proposed levy rate of $0.89 per $1,000 of assessed property value, would cost the average household in the fire district less than $14 per month, according to UCFD#1.
“Over the past decade, emergency call volume has gone up 56% while our community and demand for emergency services have grown,” said UCFD#1 Fire Chief Scott Stanton. “At the same time, the cost of providing emergency services, from personnel and medical supplies to apparatus, equipment, and daily operations, has grown significantly and continues to outpace the District’s ongoing revenues.”
Awarded in 2024, the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant provides funding for three years, which allowed UCFD#1 to add staffing in response to increased demand for emergency services.
SAFER funding is temporary, however, the positions funded through the grant are full-time employees who have been fully integrated into UCFD#1’s emergency response system, according to the district.
If approved by voters, Measure 30-175 would be the first operating levy in UCFD#1 history, and would maintain existing staffing levels, including the 16 paramedic and firefighter/EMT positions funded by the SAFER grant.
Measure 30-175 would not fund new programs or service expansion, according to UCFD#1.
If Measure 30-175 is not approved in November, UCFD#1 anticipates eliminating the 16 positions and not being able to staff Station 23 on Westland Road when SAFER funding ends.
UCFD#1 is a special district that operates independently of city and county governments and is funded through a permanent property tax rate, ambulance billing, and grants to provide emergency services to about 48,000 residents in western Umatilla County.
