Hello Key Peninsula! This is your Fire Chief, Nick Swinhart. As 2024 draws to a close, I want to share some reflections on what has been a busy and productive year for our fire district.
This year, we proudly took delivery of our first new fire engine in decades, while also improving the appearance and durability of our facilities. We said farewell to longtime staff members who retired and welcomed new volunteers and paid staff eager to serve our community. As we approach the new year, we also bid a heartfelt goodbye to our Executive Assistant, Renee Wassenaar, as she heads to new adventures in Montana. In her place, we’re excited to welcome Brenda Bright, who joined us in October.
One of our most significant efforts this year was the attempt to renew our Maintenance and Operations (M&O) Levy. This $800,000 levy, in place since 2012, has been essential to maintaining our staffing, facilities, and equipment. Despite receiving 59% support in the November general election, we fell just short of the 60% supermajority required by Washington law.
The failure to pass the levy meant we had to adjust our 2025 budget significantly. While we were able to avoid layoffs, the loss of this funding will have unavoidable impacts, including:
• Reduced funding for training and officer development.
• Canceling most planned equipment replacements in 2025.
• No savings set aside for future equipment needs.
• Selling surplus assets.
• Scaling back facilities maintenance.
• Leaving a vacant firefighter position unfilled.
• Reduced ability for staff to take leave.
• Lowering minimum daily staffing levels from 7 to 5.
Reduced funding for t most planned equipment replacements in 2025.
The reduction in daily staffing levels is likely to be the most noticeable change for our community. To stay within budget and avoid layoffs, we will no longer hire overtime staff to maintain seven firefighters on duty. If staffing drops to five, one of our three fire stations (Wauna, Home, or Longbranch) may temporarily close. While we don’t yet know how frequently this will happen, based on 2024 data, we believe it could occur at least twice a month. Unfortunately, this could result in longer response times depending on the location of 911 calls and which stations are operational.
We are committed to minimizing these impacts and continuing to provide the highest level of service possible. Firefighters are nothing if not resilient, and we remain dedicated to protecting our community.
We deeply appreciate the ongoing support of the Key Peninsula community and will continue seeking ways to strengthen the services we provide and build trust around future funding efforts. If you have questions or concerns about your fire district, please don’t hesitate to contact me at nswinhart@kpfd.org.
Thank you for your continued trust in us. We are here for you.
Nick Swinhart, Fire Chief
Key Peninsula Fire Department
Comentarios