At the Orcas Island Fire District (OIFD) Work Session meeting on Aug. 26 the fire commissioners unanimously approved a modified proposal for an architectural Request For Qualifications (RFQ) on the new Deer Harbor Fire Station, and heard background and progress updates on the new station, the purchase of mini pumpers and the Division Chief Proposal.

Deer Harbor station

Chief Mike Harris presented the commissioners with a RFQ for Architectural design services on the Deer Harbor Station, noting that Commissioner Jim Coffin had reviewed the document and advised Harris that all reference to estimated costs needed to be removed. The commissioners unanimously approved the RFQ with the modifications.

Coffin said, “It is a very interesting way to do it. I think the document will work if we just take out all references to costs. The board will look at the qualifications of each of those who respond to the RFQ, determine the most qualified applicant, and notify them of the selection. At that point, we work to negotiate a fair and reasonable price, with the most qualified applicant. If we cannot negotiate a fair and reasonable price then we move on to the next most qualified architectural firm.”

The RFQ outlines the project description, lists the scope of services, reviews submission requirements, lists evaluation criteria, the selection process and insurance requirements.

The deadline for qualifications to be received by the OIFD is Sept. 17.

During the correspondence part of the meeting, Harris had informed the commissioners that the current tenant on the Deer Harbor property, Karla Rieg, had refused a registered letter sent by the OIFD to officially terminate the rental lease of the mobile home on Channel Road as of Sept. 30. Coffin stated that he had visited the property and taped a copy of the letter to the door of Reig’s trailer. Coffin said, “I think we can just proceed. I don’t think there is anything else that we need to do.”

Harris recapped additional progress that had been made on the Deer Harbor Station (No. 24) including notifying the neighboring property owner of the boundary line adjustment resolution approved at the commissioners’ previous meeting, amending the water agreement to give usage rights to the fire station as a commercial entity, resolution of Health Department water system maintenance concerns and obtaining a permit for the septic system.

The architectural consultant for the OIFD on the Deer Harbor Station, William Trogdon, had delivered a model of the new station that was on display at the meeting. Harris explained that the model was an accurate description of the proposed fire station and that other documents on display outlined the typography of the land and how the building would sit on the land. The drawings are available at the fire station for the public. The model will be available again at a later date.

“Assuming that our architect is on board in September, we can begin dirt work on the new station the beginning of October. It’s a very optimistic schedule but we are trying to get the most out of this construction season as possible,” Harris said.

Mini Pumpers

Harris reviewed the status of the new mini pumpers, nicknamed by the department as WASP to define them as wild land, attack, structural protection pumpers. Harris plans to meet with the manufacturers, the Darley Company, to review the Orcas Fire Department’s needs, noting that due to the inter-local agreement with Skagit County Fire District No. 5, the OIFD would not be able to deviate much from what Skagit had ordered.

“We will next take our specifications to the Washington Survey and Rating Bureau, a private company representing the insurance industry, and make sure they will sign off on the pumpers for both structure and wild land use,” Harris said. “The new pumpers fight fire with compressed air foam (CAF) that amplifies the water usage five to seven times. With CAF, each of the vehicles, although carrying less water than larger fire vehicles, will have the water effectiveness of our current large pumpers. Every community on the island will have a CAF vehicle servicing it.”

Division Chief Proposal

In updating the status of the Division Chief Proposal, Harris reviewed how the proposal had been initiated. “This was a process that started with the resignation of the battalion cheif who was both trainer and operations officer. I approached the three current EMS staff and told them I wanted to test all three of them and that the one that tested the best would be promoted to the new assistant chief. At around the same time, we realized we needed a fourth medic because of overtime. Hiring a fourth medic would mean the fire medic personnel would go from 10 to 8 duty shifts a week.

“They came back to me with an alternative plan. They suggested that they split the job with one of them working as operation chief, one as training chief and one as the human resource or health and fitness chief, all of them at the division chief rank. “Besides emergency response, training is the most important thing we do. We have 60 people to keep trained up. We are a largely emergency medical service station that fights fire. We call ourselves a fire station but we handle emergency medical more than anything else. We are one organization that does HAZMAT, fire and emergency service.

“We are an all risk department. If it s not law enforcement, it’s us and sometimes when it’s law enforcement, it’s still us. So, training is very important. Our training is state of the art.The third thing that gets packaged up in that is human resources. What we do for our members is to provide them with the best medical evaluation I have ever seen.

“Everyone handles the adrenaline rush that happens when the bell goes off differently, but it has the same effect on all. When you are in the mud and the blood and the beer and the adrenaline has worn off you still have to do the job. Our fitness physical evaluates each of our members and makes sure they are able to do the job.

“We have discussed the contract in a previous executive session and we will do so again tonight in the executive session. We first presented this concept to various groups including our officers and general membership. When they reacted favorably, we presented it to the board. We did it this way because we knew if we didn’t have support from within this would never fly. What we heard was, ‘we like the idea but we want to see the whole idea after you have talked to the union.’ At the next All-Hands Meeting (Sept. 30) we will take it back to them,” Harris said.

The meeting was opened to public comment and a concern was raised about the battalion chief proposal locking the fire department into a union contract that might be difficult to change.

Commissioner Clyde Duke responded, “We have had discussion but we do not have resolution on this. We have to go through this very methodically and we appreciate the public comment. However we are engaged in the department; as active volunteer, commissioner, staff or early responder we have seen the number of calls increase over the years. The concern is what is needed and at what cost do we need it. It’s more than doing the right thing at the right cost. It’s a question of doing the best thing for the community. Often it is not just a money thing.

“The training is not just better but more tangible. One of the things that came out in the focus group (as part of the 2005 Strategic Plan) are the questions ‘what is an acceptable level and at what cost?’ ‘What about when the levy runs out?’ ‘Will we be able to sustain the expense then?’ ‘Will the new proposal be budget neutral?’

“We have to see where we are right now. The call volume goes up every year and it’s not fire, it’s emergency medical services. Speaking as one individual, we are trying to be as cost efficient as we can. It’s a balance,” Duke said.

“If you take the battalion chief salary and the current overtime pay, and balance it against the new proposal, we believe it will cost less or the same,” Harris said. He went on to clarify that unexpected overtime caused by EMS illness or other unscheduled events would mean that the hiring of the additional EMS would not eliminate overtime completely.

The commissioners adjourned into executive session to discuss contract negotiations in regards to the Division Chief Proposal, with International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) Local 3911, the three-member paramedic union that serves Orcas Island.

The OIFD business office will be closed in observance of Labor Day. The next OIFD Regular Board Meeting will be on Sept. 9 at 7:30 p.m. A Work Session on the 2009 budget is scheduled for Sept. 23 at 7:30 p.m. and a closed to the public All Hands meeting with a focus on the Division Chief Proposal is scheduled for Sept. 30.