Marion County Fire District #1 is pleased to announce that our Local Option Levy appears to have passed thanks to the support and generosity of our community.

As a special service district, Marion County Fire District #1 is governed by an elected Board of Directors who must make policy decisions that ensure the highest level of fire and life safety services provided in the most cost effective manner. “Making the decision to seek a levy in these times was not an easy one for our Board of Directors to make. It is not easy to ask for more money from taxpayers in a good economy, and in this economy it was certainly tougher”, said Chief Henson.  “Passage of this measure will enable us to continue our fire and EMS services without interruption or reduction and we are overwhelmingly grateful for your support” said Board President Randy Franke.

While this levy allows MCFD#1 to maintain current services, both Chief Henson and Board President Franke agree that looking forward to the future of fire/EMS services, collaborative service deployment with neighboring fire agencies may still be the most vital option for long term sustainability.

Questions may be directed to Chief Henson at 503-991-0146 or Randy Franke at 503-559-0872.

For many years Marion County Fire District #1 has participated in parades and events in the area.  “It’s something we do with great pride”, stressed Kevin Henson, MCFD#1 Fire Chief.  Henson indicated that this year MCFD#1 will have two fire trucks, one ambulance and probably two additional restored fire trucks in the Keizer Iris Festival Parade.  “What is new this year is that we have designed a contest for children ages 5 – 13 to win a ride on a vehicle throughout the parade,” reported Clear Lake Station Captain Dave Zahn.

Entry forms for a chance to ride in the Iris Festival parade can be downloaded below and/or obtained from several area businesses.  All entries must be received by 4:00 pm Wednesday May 16.  Completed entry forms can be taken to Marion County Fire District Station 1 at 300 Cordon Rd NE, or faxed to 503-588-6537.  In addition, entries may be submitted via email to annak@wvfra.com.  All winners will be notified on Thursday, May 17.

Iris Festival Parade Entry Form

Marion County Fire District #1 is responsible for providing fire and emergency medical services to approximately 50,000 residents who reside in a district of approximately 80 square miles.  We have 8 fire stations strategically placed within the district to effectively provide fire and emergency medical services.  Our district utilizes a combination of highly trained career and volunteer firefighters to serve our community 24-hours a day.  In 2011 we responded to 5,800 calls … an average of more than 15 emergency requests each and every day of the year!  We serve our community with dedicated personnel totaling 40 employees and 81 active volunteers.

We, like many organizations and individuals in this down economy, are having to tighten our belts, reorganize our operations, and look at all options to operate as efficiently as possible and maintain the current level of services.  We will also continue to re-evaluate what our critical core services are over the next several months.

While we have had differences with our union,  management and union personnel have worked diligently together to come up with creative solutions to make cuts and not impact our core services to the community.  Our union personnel voluntarily developed a proposal that resulted in voluntary demotions and a reorganization of many employees that will save more than $260,000 per year. All employees (union and non-represented) have also agreed to take a 2.5 percent wage reduction.  Like many in our community, this action will mean our employees will not have had a wage increase in three years.  Two administrative staff has been laid off and two tenured staff took voluntary retirements. The duties of laid off and retired personnel will be redistributed to the remaining force. Additional budget cuts have resulted in savings of over $250,000.

Once the MCFD #1 Board of Directors were confident that management and union leaders were working together to reduce costs, then and only then, did the Board consider asking taxpayers to continue the local option levy of $.16 per $1,000.  After much discussion and financial analysis, even after taking into account the eventual reductions and cost savings, we still had to increase the levy by an additional $.13 to ensure that we could continue to provide the same level of fire and emergency medical services the voters have grown to expect from MCFD#1.

Approval of this local option levy would represent an additional $.13 per thousand or $23.40 per year (less than $2 per month) for an $180,000 home.

The passage of this measure will fund district operations for the next four years and is vital to our ability to provide the same level of fire and emergency medical services as in the past.  We hope residents appreciate the commitments and sacrifices that our firefighters have made and will support Measure 24-330.

Randy Franke

Board President, Marion County Fire District #1

The elected Board of Directors for Marion County Fire District No. 1 voted to place a funding measure on the May 15, 2012 ballot to support the continuation of existing services.

Our current levy of $0.16 per $1,000 expires in June 2012 and we are asking for a continuation of the levy.  We are asking for an additional $0.13 per $1,000, to achieve our goal of continuing to provide the current level of services.  In order to effectively provide fire and emergency medical services to the 50,000 residents in our 80 square mile district, MCFD#1 currently utilizes highly trained career and volunteer personnel to serve our community 24-hours a day based out of 8 fire stations located throughout the fire district.

Management and union personnel have worked diligently to come up with creative solutions to make cuts where we can while not impacting our service to the community. These collective efforts have resulted in voluntary demotions and a reorganization of employees that will save more than $260,000 per year. All employees have also agreed to take a 2.5 percent wage reduction. Two administrative staff have been laid off and two tenured staff took voluntary retirements. The duties of laid off and retired personnel will be redistributed to the remaining force.

MCFD#1 is an organization that deeply values the relationship with our community.  We are tightening our belts and reorganizing our operations so that we can operate as efficiently as possible, as many organizations are struggling to do in these tough times.

Approval of this measure at $.29 per $1,000 of assessed property valuation equates to an increase of $.13 per $1,000 over the current and expiring Local Option Levy.  Approval of this local option levy would represent an additional $.13 per thousand or $23.40 per year for an $180,000 home.  Our fire district has 40 employees and 81 volunteers, running over 5,800 calls annually.  This measure would fund district operations for the next four years.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to visit with any of our personnel, or you can schedule an appointment with someone in our staff.  MCFD#1 exists to serve and protect our community, and with your continued trust and support we aim to do precisely that.

If you live in a wildfire hazard zone, Help Us Help You!

Safeguard your home and family by following the safety tips :

Can Firefighters Quickly Find Your Home?

• If your home is set back or not visible from the street, post your address at the beginning of your driveway or road.
• Make sure your street is named or numbered, and a sign is visibly posted at each street intersection.If you need a rural address sign, please call:(503)588-6526.

Can Fire Equipment Safely Access Your Property?

• The road or driveway to your home should be clear of all debris, dense vegetation, and low-hanging branches in order to provide access (and an escape route if needed) for fire equipment.  Minimum clearance is 20 feet wide by 15 feet high
• Turn-out areas are needed if the road or driveway to your home is not large enough for two-way traffic or your home is located at the end of a long driveway or dead-end road.
• The driveway to your home should be designed without sharp curves or steep grades.
• If crossing a bridge is necessary to access your home, it must be able to support 60,000 lbs and posted for fire service personnel.

If you are in a wildfire hazard zone, read about what YOU can do to keep your home and property safe from wildfires this summer:

Helpful hints to protect your home