Wilbur Fire/EMS
Terry Engelson
Scope of project for which we are seeking funding:
The need to replace our aging 1966 American LaFrance pumper with a new
commercial or newer used pumper meeting all required specifications and
requirements of
Planned use for Funds:
The total amount of $
183,940 would be used in the purchase of a new or newer used pumper. Some of
the minimum requirements for the pumper purchased would include, an enclosed
cab with seat belted seating for 4 or more firefighters. A diesel motor, an
automatic transmission, a pump rated at a minimum of 1000 GPM, a water tank
with a minimum of 500 gallons. A mounted 3in-deluge nozzle and a mounted
generator system with work lights. All other needed equipment will be
transferred from the 1966 LaFrance.
Travel will be
required for inspections and to confirm issued specifications during build up
or prior to purchase of a used unit as per NFPA 1901. The following is how we
propose to use funds requested,
Pumper: $ 170,000.00
Travel: $ 3,500.00
Federal Share: $ 168,696.00
Town’s share: $ 18,744.00
The State of
Funding Ability:
The Towns ability to
save for a new pumper has evaporated, and the need to replace the 36-year-old
pumper is accelerating. The Town has a
reserve fund for major vehicle repair or replacement. The fund has $ 16,000 in
it to date. The Town, faced with
declining revenues, has not included this item in the budget for over 5 years.
As a result of two
state initiatives, I-695 (vehicle excise tax) the State Of Washington has cut
funding to towns by over 25% for the last two years. This funding was the basic
income source for the department. The State has notified the town that it will
be cutting another 15% next year from the Towns state-derived funds. I- 747 (property tax limit) has limited the
Towns ability to increase property taxes over 1%.
The old law allowed for a yearly increase of 6%. This amounts
to a net loss of 5% in property tax revenue. Our Town clerk has advised us that
we must be ready to cut 20% from next year’s budget.
The budget for 2002
is $ 22,594. This includes $ 16,500 for operations, personnel, fuel, utilities,
insurance, communications, dispatch, and training. This leaves $ 6094 for
maintenance, capital equipment outlay and reserve fund.
The economy of Wilbur
is agriculturally based. The current declining status of the agricultural
economy
presents its own problems for the Town. Businesses are closing, good paying jobs are
leaving as these businesses close their doors. Property owners are lowering
rental rates to attract low-income renters and are not maintaining their
properties adding to the load on public services. The real estate market is
being driven lower on many properties, causing a loss in the property tax base.
A lower tax base means less money for the Town.
The population of
Wilbur is now 914 people; the average income is per household family is $ 35574
by 1999 census. The average home owned by the resident has an estimated value
of $ 48,880.
As you can see the
Town of Wilbur is economical strapped and has limited resources. The purchase
of a
new pumper would be a considerable financial burden for the
citizens and the Town of Wilbur.
The towns volunteer
firefighters association has offered to add the needed amount of $ 2744 to help
make the Towns match of 10%, to assist in the needed safety improvements this
grant would provide.
Benefits:
Safety of our
firefighters is of the utmost concern. An enclosed cab with seat belts is a
must. A dependable diesel motor and automatic transmission will allow our
firefighters to reach their destination in a timely manner. The larger water
tank will allow for a direct response at the incident rather than having to lay
from a hydrant two or more blocks in areas that do not have hydrants. The
larger storage area will allow all needed equipment to arrive on scene in one
unit. A pumper with the slow close valves and a pressure governor will add to
the safety of our firefighters. Work lights during night operations will
increase fire fighter safety.
The citizens will
benefit by the faster response lessening the damage to their properties. The
ability of having all necessary equipment on the scene will provide for a
quick, safe response. The added ability to have all needed equipment on the
scene will be a great asset. The citizens and town will benefit by having a
dependable pumper not requiring major repairs to stay in service.
A newer pumper would allow the freeing up of
automatic aid units. The Town maintains
an automatic aid agreement with the local fire district for response to all of
the Towns incidents. The local fire district would benefit by being able to
lower its response to our incidents, freeing up their resources.
The Town also maintains mutual aid agreements with the towns
of Almira, Creston, Davenport, Grand Coulee, Coulee Dam, Electric City, Odessa,
Harrington, Reardan, Edwall, and Sprague. It also maintains mutual aid
agreements with seven of the fire districts in the county. Through other
agreements we may also work with Washington State Dept of Resources, Federal
Bureau of Land Management, and the National Park Service.
A newer compliant pumper would also help maintain and/or
lower our insurance rates.
Welcome to the Wilbur Fire/EMS Department.
We are located in Eastern Washington State in an area known as the Upper Columbia Basin. Wilbur is surrounded by rolling wheat fields, channeled scab lands, and to the north are the heavily timbered canyons bordering Lake Roosevelt, which is located behind Grand Coulee Dam. Family farms, ranches, recreational lands make up the majority of land ownership. The climate for the area varies from below freezing during the winter months to over 100 during the summer months. The semi arid climate means snow, black ice, hail and rain. Hot and dry days are to be expected. The National Fire Plan has Wilbur listed as a Town at risk from wildfires.
The Wilbur Fire/EMS Department is located in the Town of Wilbur Washington and is responsible for providing fire protection for the 914 citizens of the town. The department also provides EMS and rescue functions for the town and surrounding area. This includes the 700 citizens in the northwest corner of Lincoln County for a primary service area of approximately 502 sq. miles. We are the backup units for an additional 220 sq. miles. The local fire district handles fire control out side of the town’s boundaries, but does not handle any EMS or rescue operations, unless fire control or manpower is needed.
The Department membership is made up of 33 volunteers, consisting of 4 officers and 29 firefighters of which 15 members hold EMT B certifications.
We have one interstate highway, U.S #2 crossing the area east / west with 2 state routes also crossing the area north / south. Steep, narrow canyon roads and country roads make up the rest of our access routes. The U.S. #2 and state routes carry everything from locally grown crops, hazardous waste and hazardous materials such as anhydrous ammonia and other farm chemicals required for raising the area’s crops.
Lake Roosevelt, north of Wilbur has five major land access routes within our area, allowing over 130,000 visitors yearly to enjoy the Columbia River. We also provide EMS services for this recreational area. The Lake Roosevelt recreational area sees over 1.3 million visitors boating or camping each year along its shores.
The Washington State
Survey and Rating Bureau of Washington caused the Town to increase its fire
pumping capabilities in 1990 to maintain its fire rating. They required a pump
with at least 1000 GPM.
At that time we
purchased a surplus 1968 LaFrance 1000 GPM diesel powered pumper. The unit had
high pump hours, a major inframe engine overhaul and no other refurbishment’s.
The body is requiring major maintenance and repair.
A gasoline motor
powers our 1966 cab-over Ford LaFrance, which can only carry 3 personnel
unbelted in the cab. We no longer allow tailboard riding. The manual shift
transmission is cumbersome with 3 fully outfitted firefighters seated in the
cab. The pump and pump transmission are
showing the hours of use. The 300-gallon water tank is inadequate for use in
areas without hydrants. The pump housing, plumbing, and valves are all falling
victim to galvanic erosion.
The Town is dotted
with 1900 vintage buildings and during the last 8 years we have lost two major
businesses to fire. Both businesses were totally destroyed with an estimated
loss of over $800,000.
These losses were devastating to the town and it’s
citizens. During one of these fires
the1966 unit failed during an interior attack and caused a safety concern for
the team inside the structure. The unit required a repair at the scene to
restore it’s pumping ability.
The Town also has an
assisted living complex, a senior apartment complex, two petroleum storage
facilities, two large grain elevator complexes, and an elementary, junior, and
senior high school.
Our department has
always prided itself in being able to help when needed, wherever it can. The current condition and age of our pumpers
is now causing the question, of how much help we can be to our community and
the surrounding area.