PORT TOWNSEND — The Board of Jefferson County Commissioners approved $17,000 following a much larger request from the office of the fire marshal.
The office’s $83,928 request was made outside of normal budgeting and came to the board after expected sources of funding did not come through for the new office. The proposed purchase of a gas-powered truck that was part of the original request was removed.
“What we’re experiencing here is a little time lag where we’ve created a function and we were counting on grants and a revenue stream, neither of which have materialized,” development code administrator Greg Ballard said Monday.
Among the line items were the truck, a software package from Tyler Technologies and equipment such as a handheld GPS, a wind anemometer, a portable radio, a wildland fire pack and personal protection equipment.
The office of the fire marshal was formed in 2022. It is comprised of fire marshal/building official Phil Cecere and deputy fire marshal Brian Tracer and is responsible for plan reviews, inspections, investigations, addressing and road naming, enforcing burn regulations, monitoring atmospheric conditions, establishing fire danger risk levels and setting corresponding restrictions.
Some of those responsibilities have been handled by fire districts in the past. The new office is still coming into its role and assuming some responsibilities that fire districts have handled in the past, Cecere said.
Electric vehicles
County commissioners Greg Brotherton and Heidi Eisenhour were resistant to the office’s request for a gas-powered truck, by far the largest requested expense. Brotherton said a line needed to be drawn regarding the county’s vehicle fleet moving toward electrification, noting that several departments have offered various rationales for adding gas vehicles rather than electric ones.
Brotherton said he drives an electric vehicle and finds it workable with some planning.
Eisenhour expressed frustration over the slow pace of adopting electric vehicles. She also mentioned that she had an electric vehicle and a charger.
Commissioner Kate Dean acknowledged some sticker shock at the expenses presented by the fire marshal, noting that a large portion of public funding from taxes already is allocated to emergency services. She was wary about holding the fire marshal’s office back from purchasing a gas vehicle when many other departments have done so. She noted the need for a policy for purchasing electrical vehicles.
A Ford F-150 Lightning is available for purchase for the office. However, Cecere said the primary reason for requesting a gas truck is the electric vehicle’s limited range of 240-320 miles per charge. The range is further limited when towing, and while the office doesn’t plan on towing, it expects to have notable weight in the truck, as well as the added weight of a canopy.
The office has been relying on borrowing vehicles from the Department of Community Development fleet. Cecere provided an example of a recent call during which they had to drive to a site in a personal vehicle, as the fleet vehicle was low on fuel.
Following the exclusion of the gas-powered truck from the approved resource request, the commissioners held a short discussion along with Ballard and Cecere about what to do next in regard to the office’s need for a vehicle. The group briefly entertained making a motion to provide the funds required for an electric truck, which would also be more expensive than its gas counterpart.
Ultimately, Cecere said he would prefer taking some time to consider the vehicle’s viability in fulfilling the office’s needs, before seeking board approval.
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Reporter Elijah Sussman can be reached by email at elijah.sussman@sequimgazette.com.
