Crews responded to a truck on fire at Anderson Hill and Seabeck Highway at approximately 12:55 pm on December 20th. The driver was not injured, but there was heavy fire damage to the truck and the phone/cable lines overhead. Traffic was shut down temporarily on Anderson Hill
A brush fire behind the AM/PM on 303 was extinguished this afternoon. It was possibly started with a trash pile being lit on fire. The County Fire Marshal will investigate
Silverdale, Wash. – The Board of Fire Commissioners for Central Kitsap Fire & Rescue unanimously approved a Capital Facilities Plan at its meeting on November 12. The Plan identifies consolidating and improving nine fire stations to enhance community safety and create a healthier work environment for firefighters.
Many stations are nearly 60 years old, and none are up to current seismic standards. Engineers have identified several that would be in danger of collapsing even with a small earthquake. This could jeopardize the ability of personnel to respond to emergency calls during such an event. Several stations also are located significant distances away from populated areas, which increases emergency response times.
Improving firefighter health and safety also is an issue. Cancer is a leading cause of death for emergency personnel. The current stations lack effective exhaust removal systems and decontamination areas that reduce firefighter exposure to carcinogens and infectious diseases. Many stations also are not equipped with modern fire and life safety systems such as security cameras, commercial fire alarms and sprinklers.
The cost to complete the projects would exceed the fire district’s operating levies. As a result, community members may be asked to consider a bond sometime in 2020. There will be a public process to decide, but Fire Chief John Oliver says the time is right to make this request.
“The cost of the projects has been set at an amount where property owners would actually see a net decrease in taxes compared to what they are paying to the District in 2019,” he said.
The decrease is because a Maintenance and Operations levy is expiring and the fire district is paying off an old bond for apparatus. CKFR also identified savings on some projects to lower the total cost of the Plan. If the fire district decides to ask voters to approve a bond, the projected rate would be $0.32 per $1,000 of assessed property value. This is $0.02 less per $1,000 than property owners have been paying with the M&O levy and old bond.
CKFR spent two years reviewing its fire stations, and developing its Capital Facilities Plan. The fire district plans to hold community meetings after the first of the year to take input on the idea of bonding for the facilities. A copy of the Capital Facilities Plan, including a full list of station projects, is available on the CKFR website at ckfrdev721.wpengine.com. Fire Chief John Oliver also welcomes questions at joliver@ckfr.org or (360) 447-3566.
Central Kitsap Fire & Rescue released a draft Capital Facilities Plan for public review. The agency has spent two years conducting a comprehensive assessment of its fire stations. The 635-page plan identifies needed facility improvements for community safety and firefighter health.
Many stations are nearly 60 years old, and none are up to current seismic standards. Engineers have identified several that would be in danger of collapsing even with a small earthquake. This could jeopardize the District’s ability to respond to emergency calls during such an event. Several stations also are located significant distances away from populated areas, which increases response times.
The stations lack effective exhaust removal systems and decontamination areas that reduce firefighter exposure to carcinogens and infectious diseases. Many stations also are not equipped with modern fire and life safety systems such as security cameras, commercial fire alarms and sprinklers.
“Fire station locations and requirements are different than when we formed in 1942. Since that time, we also have learned that cancer is a leading cause of death in firefighters,” said Fire Chief John Oliver. “This plan is an important step in planning for the well-being of our community and its firefighters.”
The Capital Facilities Plan calls for consolidating, replacing or remodeling nine stations. The cost of capital projects would exceed CKFR’s operating levies. As a result, the District will consider asking voters to approve a bond sometime in 2020.
If approved by voters, property owners are projected to see a net decrease in the amount of taxes compared to what they are currently paying to the District. This is because a Maintenance and Operations Levy is expiring, and a bond for apparatus and equipment will retire before the new bond would take effect.
“We would deliberately hold the bond amount at a number that will result in a tax decrease for our taxpayers,” said Chief Oliver. “It’s a win-win.”
The first draft of the Capital Facilities Plan identified $63 million in facility improvements. However, the District identified cost-savings on some projects to lower that amount to $58.3 million. If approved by voters, the projected rate per $1,000 of assessed property value would be 32 cents. This is $0.02 less than the amount property owners will have been paying for the M&O Levy and prior bond. The District expects to have final numbers by the end of November.
The Board of Fire Commissioners will consider adoption of the Capital Facilities Plan at its regularly scheduled meeting at 4:00 p.m. on November 12 at the CKFR Administrative Building (5300 NW Newberry Hill Road, Silverdale, WA). Community members can find a copy of the Plan, including a full list of station projects, on the CKFR website at ckfrdev721.wpengine.com.
“There will be a public outreach process before a decision is made to go to ballot,” said Chief Oliver. “We appreciate our community being open to learning more about the proposal.”
Around 7:00 am on October 30th, a homeowner on Frontier Place NW was alerted to a possible problem when her smoke alarms went off. As she was starting to investigate, there was a knock at her door. A passerby had observed smoke and flames coming from her house. He was able to help her evacuate safely and then he went to alert the neighbors. Crews arrived to find the residence fully involved. The fire was stubborn and took a while to extinguish. The house is a loss and the County Fire Marshal is investigating the cause.
CKFR crews extinguished a trailer fire in the area of the 12000 block of Holly Road . The trailer was fully involved upon crews arrival. They were able to extinguish it quickly and conduct overhaul. The trailer was abandoned and nobody was on the property at the time. The County Fire Marshal will investigate the cause.
Welcome DeVonte Short to the CKFR family! On September 9th he was sworn in as a Volunteer EMT. His beautiful family, wife Kailey and son DeVonte Jr., were in attendance.
Crews responded to a possible residential structure fire the morning of August 27th in the 4600 block of NW Bernard Street after the caller reported black smoke coming from beneath the home. There was a strong electrical smell and crews discovered an overheated condensation pump underneath the residence.
CKFR and Poulsbo Fire units responded to a single vehicle rollover with entrapment on Silverdale Way at 3:35 this afternoon. Crews stabilized the vehicle and removed the roof to get the driver, the sole occupant of the vehicle, out. He was then transported to a local hospital by Medic 71.
