Citizens of Key Peninsula,
As I write this update, I hope we are finally moving past the recent cold snap that has affected us all. The icy roads over the past few weeks have led to numerous car accidents, and we greatly appreciate everyone driving slowly and cautiously in these hazardous conditions. Please remember that icy roads not only slow down regular traffic but also impact the speed of our emergency response vehicles, which may result in slightly longer response times in the event of an emergency.
The most pressing issue your fire district has been addressing is the recent failure of our long-term Maintenance and Operations Levy. This has forced us to begin 2025 by making $800,000 in cuts to our operating budget. While we have managed to avoid staff layoffs so far, these budget reductions have necessitated several difficult decisions. These include leaving a firefighter position vacant and reducing our minimum daily staffing levels from 7 to 5. This change helps save significant overtime costs but directly impacts our ability to keep all three staffed fire stations open at all times. When we cannot fully staff our stations, we implement temporary closures, referred to as “brownouts.” Since the start of the year, we have already experienced three brownouts and anticipate they will become more frequent during the summer months. We will continue to closely monitor this situation and provide monthly reports to the Board of Commissioners on the frequency of closures and their impact on the community.
How We Staff and Deploy Personnel
This is an opportune time to review how we allocate staffing across the district. When fully staffed, the Key Peninsula Fire Department maintains the following coverage:
A paramedic crew at Wauna (Station 44).
An engine crew and battalion chief at Home (Station 47).
A paramedic crew at Longbranch (Station 49).
Our Key Center (Station 46) and Wright-Bliss (Station 45) stations are volunteer-based and do not have overnight staffing.
We often receive questions about why certain stations are unstaffed, with the assumption that this is an unusual situation. In reality, it is common for fire districts to operate a number of unstaffed stations. For example, neighboring districts have similar setups:
Gig Harbor Fire: Four unstaffed stations.
South Kitsap Fire and Rescue: Four unstaffed stations.
Central Mason Fire: Nine unstaffed stations.
North Mason Regional Fire: Six unstaffed stations.
There are various reasons for unstaffed stations. Many were originally built during a time when fire districts primarily relied on volunteer firefighters. Others are constructed with the intention of being staffed in the future when call volumes in those areas justify 24-hour staffing. Outside of large metropolitan areas like Tacoma or Seattle, few fire districts can afford to staff all stations 24/7.
Deciding Where to Staff Personnel
Staffing decisions are primarily based on population density and emergency call volume. Like most agencies, we use tools such as heat maps to guide these decisions. Below is a heat map of emergency medical responses on the Key Peninsula in 2024. Areas with higher call volumes are shown in darker red, transitioning to yellow for lower call volumes. The stars represent the approximate locations of our three staffed stations.
As the map illustrates, we deploy resources strategically to cover areas with the highest emergency call activity while ensuring that coverage extends as widely as possible across the Key Peninsula. At current staffing levels, the district can reliably staff three stations 24/7. However, during brownouts, we can only keep two stations operational. Unfortunately, with the current staffing levels, it is not feasible to staff a fourth station reliably. Attempting to do so would require removing a crew from one of the existing stations, which would compromise coverage in other areas.
We appreciate your understanding and support as we continue to navigate these challenges. Please know that we remain committed to providing the best possible service to our community and will keep you informed about any changes.
Nick Swinhart
Fire Chief
Comments