Riverside Fire Authority driver/engineer Mark Stahl, right, wraps up a hose with volunteer firefighter Melinda Sabin, center-right, as Capt. Casey McCarthy, left, talks with paramedic Rob Smith on Thursday afternoon at the fire station on Harrison Avenue in Centralia. The four-person crew spent much of the afternoon lull in a meeting then cleaned the inside of the engines and some of the heavy equipment.
The Riverside Fire Authority was the only one to approve a measure during the special election.
Riverside Fire Authority volunteer firefighter Miranda Sabin takes a practice exam on Thursday afternoon at the Harrison Avenue station in Centralia.
Riverside Fire Authority volunteer firefighter Miranda Sabin cleans some of the fire department's heavy equipment with driver/engineer Mark Stahl, left, on Tuesday afternoon at the fire station on Harrison Avenue in Centralia.
Riverside Fire Authority firefighter/paramedics, Steve Lamb, left, and Rob Smith laugh at the end of a staffing meeting held at the Harrison Avenue Station on Thursday afternoon in Centralia.
Riverside Fire Authority firefighter/paramedics, Steve Lamb, left, and Rob Smith laugh at the end of a staffing meeting held at the Harrison Avenue Station on Thursday afternoon in Centralia.
Riverside Fire Authority volunteer firefighter Miranda Sabin takes a practice exam on Thursday afternoon at the Harrison Avenue station in Centralia.
The Riverside Fire Authority Harrison Avenue station crew cleans the inside of its two engines in this June 2014 file photo.
Riverside Fire Authority driver/engineer Mark Stahl, right, wraps up a hose with volunteer firefighter Melinda Sabin, center-right, as Capt. Casey McCarthy, left, talks with paramedic Rob Smith on Thursday afternoon at the fire station on Harrison Avenue in Centralia. The four-person crew spent much of the afternoon lull in a meeting then cleaned the inside of the engines and some of the heavy equipment.
Riverside Fire Authority volunteer firefighter Miranda Sabin cleans some of the fire department's heavy equipment with driver/engineer Mark Stahl, left, in June 2014 at the fire station on Harrison Avenue in Centralia.
Riverside Fire Authority, the county’s largest emergency medical and firefighting agency, will ask voters to approve a one-year levy this August to help ease an increasing budget reduction that could reach $1.3 million by next year.
The estimated levy rate is 49 cents per $1,000 of value, which would collect about $800,000. For a home valued at $150,000, the estimated annual tax is $73 — about $6 a month.
If Centralia-area voters do not pass the maintenance and operations levy, Riverside expects to lay off several more firefighters as a result of an additional $600,000 budget shortfall in 2015.
That amount, coupled with the $700,000 loss the agency is already grappling with this year, would mean that Riverside would lose about 30 percent of its total budget in less than two years.
The budget reduction stemmed from dropping property values in addition to the sudden and drastic depreciation of the state-assessed utility value due to TransAlta’s future plans to transition away from coal-fired power.
The reduced value of TransAlta has began to chip away at the company’s large contributions to the tax base for the Centralia School District and Riverside Fire Authority.
The Centralia-based fire authority covers 184 square miles and serves a population of 26,000 people.
The agency responds to about 4,100 emergency calls a year. The large majority of those, approximately 3,600, are medical emergencies.
For Riverside, the smaller tax base has meant fewer firefighters.
Since the beginning of this year, the agency’s work force has been reduced by five with two more layoffs expected by August.
A fire captain retired in January and was not replaced. Chief Jim Walkowski resigned earlier this year after taking a job in Spokane. His position also will not be filled.
Three firefighter/paramedics were laid off earlier this year, and by the end of summer, the agency expects to lay off two more.
In 2013, Riverside had a 27-firefighter force. By August, it will be reduced to 20.
If the levy does not pass, Riverside Fire Chief Mike Kytta expects it will mean another six layoffs, which would bring the force down to 14.
Fewer firefighters will likely means only one out of the two fire stations will be staffed full-time around the clock, Kytta said.
It will also likely lead to slower response times, especially if multiple emergencies are happening at one time. With a reduced staffing level, the agency’s ability to handle more than one emergency at once is will be affected.
The levy, however, will not return Riverside’s staffing levels to what they were in 2013 — it would instead prevent the agency from laying off more people.
The ballots will be mailed out on July 18, Kytta said. If the levy does not pass in August, the agency intends to pursue it again in November.
