PHOTO COURTESY OF UMATILLA FIRE DISTRICT
Sirens interrupted a speaker at a recent Umatilla City Council meeting as the volunteer firemen helping with the presentation excused themselves and rushed out the doors of Umatilla City Hall.
The resounding wails underscored the speaker’s pleas for updated equipment for the Umatilla Rural Fire Protection District.
The district has proposed a $1.8 million, 15-year general obligation bond for the November ballot. The funds will replace the bulk of the district’s “air pack” – also called self-contained breathing aparatus or SCBA – units as well as repair or replace two 30-year-old vehicles: the district’s water tender – or ladder truck – and the district’s rescue truck. The district would receive the funds as a lump sum, making it possible to purchase equipment almost immediately.
“Our air packs are 19 years old. They should be replaced at 12 years,” District Board Chairman Fred Sheely told the Umatilla City Council. “At this point, the companies that make these have stopped making replacement parts.”
Lt. Steve Potts, recruitment and retention coordinator for the fire district, said the air bottles on newer units are half the size and a third of the weight of the units Umatilla firefighters are using.
“Obviously, weight adds to the burden of each firefighter causing more strain and effort and tiring them sooner. Additionally, the risk for injury from the heavier pack is always a concern as well,” he said.
The Umatilla Rural Fire Protection District employs two people full-time and relies primarily on volunteer firefighters.
Sheely said the bond means an increased tax of $54 per year for a home valued at $100,000, which breaks down to about 15 cents a day.
“Try to think of something you can buy for 15 cents,” he said.
Go online for more information on the bond.
