South Kitsap Fire and Rescue Board to Meet on Fire Levy Lid Lift
[Port Orchard, Wash.] – The Board of Fire Commissioners for South Kitsap Fire and Rescue will meet to consider a resolution to place a fire levy lid lift on the August Primary Election ballot. The resolution asks the South Kitsap community to return the fire levy to the rate previously approved by voters of $1.50 per $1,000 of assessed property value.
The meetings will be held on June 9 and July 14, 2022. Meeting information can be found on the Fire District’s website at www.skfr.org/commission-meetings. The public is welcome and encouraged to attend. Residents who are unable to attend are encouraged to send their comments to Chief Jeff Faucett at jfaucett@skfr.org. A Citizen Advisory Group from the South Kitsap community also will consider the proposal on June 23, 2022.
“We receive more calls for emergency services during challenging economic times,” said Fire Chief Jeff Faucett. “Fire districts become a safety net for their communities. Our mission is fire and EMS – to save lives and property –, but our Chaplain Program helps connect families to food, shelter, emergency medical providers, and mental/behavioral health programs.”
SKFR takes this mantra to heart. During the pandemic, SKFR staff and personnel contributed almost $12,000 to charitable programs that support community members in need. The agency also continues to install smoke alarms and develop fire prevention and life safety courses to prevent emergencies before they happen.
“For us, this job is personal,” said Chief Faucett. “We have a personal interest in helping our community not only survive, but also thrive because we live here.”
Daily emergency operations at SKFR are funded by two voter-approved property tax levies with a combined total of $2 per $1,000 of assessed property value ($1.50 for fire suppression; $0.50 for EMS). Over time, the levy rates fall as property values rise to limit the fire district to roughly the same amount of revenue per year plus a one percent increase. For example, voters approved a fire levy of $1.50/$1,000 in 2017, and it has fallen to $1.21/$1,000 in 2022.
The fire levy accounts for almost 60% of SKFR’s revenue. SKFR is the largest emergency services provider in Kitsap County responding to over 12,000 calls a year. Call volumes have increased 47.5% in the past 10 years – 10.7% in the past year alone. Response times are increasing, and the South Kitsap community requires more firefighters to maintain emergency service levels.
SKFR may ask voters to return the fire levy to $1.50/$1,000 during the November 8, 2022 General Election. The fire levy lid lift would cost the average homeowner (defined as a home with an assessed value of $300,000) $87 a year ($7.25 per month).
Funding will be used to increase minimum staffing levels from 19 to 27 firefighters over the next five years. This would enable SKFR to meet National Fire Protection Association staffing standards, which reduces response times and improves safety for the community and its firefighters.
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South Kitsap Fire and Rescue is the largest emergency services provider in Kitsap County. In its 75th year of service, the agency provides fire and EMS to more than 79,000 people over 117 square miles. Full-time and volunteer emergency personnel responded to over 12,000 calls in 2021, a 10.7% increase compared to the year before. South Kitsap Fire and Rescue is debt-free, operates under a balanced budget, and has passed all its independent audits by the state. More information on the Fire District can be found at www.skfr.org.