PORT ANGELES — City council members have endorsed a Medic 1 residential rate increase of at least 56 cents a month by July 1 to fund two new firefighter-paramedic positions — the first fire department staff increase in 26 years.
The rate increases would affect 10,185 ratepayers beginning July 1.
But the Port Angeles City Council took a wait-and-see attitude at a Feb. 28 work session on deciding whether Fire Chief Ken Dubuc will get what he really wants: a 33 percent, four-person increase in firefighter-paramedic staff, a jump from 12 to 16 such employees.
The staff increase would be accomplished in a series of increases over five years through 2021.
In the next few weeks, Dubuc will explain the potential rate hikes to community groups, asking residents and business owners how much of a hike they can bear.
Under “optimal” circumstances, Dubuc said after the meeting, he will present his assessment to council members at their regular meeting April 4, when he hopes they will call for a public hearing on whatever route they decide to take.
Dubuc told council members that at least two new positions must be added by July 1 or the Washington Surveying and Rating Bureau (WSRB), which provides property underwriting and rating information for the insurance industry, will increase the city’s fire insurance rating.
He predicted the rating would increase from 4 to 5 and cause fire insurance rates to jump 5 percent for homeowners and 10 percent for business owners.
The WSRB wants a minimum of two new firefighter-paramedics to avoid a rate increase, Dubuc said.
Dubuc said the WSRB agreed Feb. 10 to keep the rating at 4 under a short-term plan fueled by overtime for existing staff that increased staffing from 4.5 positions to five Jan. 1.
Residential rates would increase by July 1 from $6.28 a month to $6.84 for two new firefighter-paramedics, to $1.14 for three and to $1.71 for four.
Salaries and benefits would cost $187,696 for two of the positions the first year and $227,164 the fifth year.
For three positions, it would cost $281,544 the first year and $340,746 the fifth year.
For four new firefighter-paramedics, it would cost $375,393 in the first year and $454,328 the fifth year.
The tax increase for individually metered residences — both homes and singly billed apartments — would be 56 cents a month for two firefighter-paramedics and $1.71 a month for four firefighter-paramedics by July 1.
Commercial users would see a 47-cent monthly increase for two firefighter-paramedics by July 1 and a $1.84 monthly increase if four more firefighter-paramedics are hired.
A more phased-in approach with smaller but more numerous rate hikes would apply to large user classes such as assisted care and skilled nursing facilities.
Port Angeles’ current Medic 1 fee is lower than that of Richland, Sunnyside, Mercer Island, Moses Lake, Hoquiam, Pasco, Montesano and Aberdeen.
In Aberdeen, the monthly residential Medic 1 fee is $22.80. Its 2013 population was 16,371 compared to Port Angeles’ 2013 population of 19,190.
Only Richland’s rate would be lower than Port Angeles’ if the Medic 1 monthly residential fee increases to $7.99 to fund four new firefighter-paramedics.
The tax hike would give the department its first staff increase of any kind — there are 22 employees — since 1991.
Dubuc said, as he has in past council meetings, that more firefighter-paramedics are needed to meet the challenges of overwhelming call volumes.
On Tuesday, he cited a 257 percent jump from 1991-2017 in 9-1-1 calls — 1,858 in 1991 compared to 4,797 in 2016, which he doesn’t expect to slow down anytime soon with 2017 levels for January and February already exceeding 2016.
Assistant Fire Chief Mike Sanders said Wednesday that 74 percent of all calls are emergency-medical and rescue calls.
The department now averages 13 calls a day, Dubuc said at Tuesday’s meeting.
“It’s becoming to the point that we are just running from call to call to call to call to call, and we are doing nothing else during the day,” he told council members Cherie Kidd, Dan Gase, Lee Whetham, Sissi Bruch and Michael Merideth.
Mayor Patrick Downie and Councilman Brad Collins were absent from the meeting.
The five council members present expressed support for filling at least two of the positions with the Medic 1 tax increases.
Bruch said she wanted to further examine insurance and overtime costs and Whetham wanted to hear more from the public, but Kidd, Merideth and Gase said they favored hiring four new firefighter-paramedics.
“We’ve been kicking this can down the road for 26 years, so it’s time to do something,” he said.
Dubuc said the high call volume cuts into time needed for training, which must be done “as a team,” and fire-prevention outreach to the community.
Hiring two firefighters “would be a Band-Aid fix at best,” he said, adding that he wanted a more definitive direction from the council members.
Not hiring four firefighters “is like putting your finger in the dike and hoping,” he said.
“Clearly, adding four personnel enables us to have the greatest flexibility.”
He said the department must meet response-times standards the council approved in 2008.
Proposed rate increases
PORT ANGELES — Current Medic 1 rates are $6.28 monthly for homeowners and $6.82 monthly for business owners.
Port Angeles Fire Chief Ken Dubuc presented proposed rate increases for two, three and four new paramedics that would occur annually over five years between this July and 2021.
Residential rates are for each individual residential electric meter and for each business’ electric meter. The Medic 1 rate is not tied to electric consumption.
Here are proposed rate increases for two new firefighter-paramedics:
• Residential: 56 cents monthly increase beginning by July 1 to a $1.35 increase after five years.
Medic 1 fee would be $7.63 monthly after five years.
Commercial: 47 cents monthly increase beginning by July 1 to a $1.57 increase after five years.
Medic 1 fee would be $8.39 monthly after five years.
• For three new firefighter-paramedics:
Residential: $1.14 monthly increase beginning by July 1 to a $2.01 increase after five years.
Medic 1 fee would be $8.29 monthly after five years.
Commercial: $1.16 monthly increase beginning by July 1 to a $2.43 increase after five years.
Medic 1 fee would be $9.25 monthly after five years.
• For four new firefighter-paramedics:
Residential: $1.71 monthly increase beginning by July 1 to a $2.68 increase after five years.
Medic 1 fee would be $8.96 monthly after five years.
Commercial: $1.84 monthly increase beginning by July 1 to $3.29 increase after five years.
Medic 1 fee would be $10.11 monthly after five years.
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Senior Staff Writer Paul Gottlieb can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 55650, or at pgottlieb@peninsuladailynews.com.
