Paid for by the West Side Volunteer Firefighters.
West Side Rural Fire Protection District is asking voters to improve emergency response services in the District by levying 97¢ per $1,000 assessed value for five years beginning in 2025-26. The levy would replace the current 50¢ per $1,000 local option levy.
The levy would provide funding to ensure at least 1 fully-trained/licensed firefighter/EMT is on duty 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Currently at least 1 firefighter/EMT is on duty daily 7 am to 5 pm. During evenings & nights, the District relies on volunteers.
Currently the District employs 3 individuals - 2 firefighter/EMTs & 1 Chief who is also a firefighter/paramedic. This staffing allows for at least 1 firefighter/EMT to be on duty daily from 7 am until 5 pm.
Evenings & nights, when about 60% of calls occur, the District relies on volunteers, who may also assist during the day. The District currently has about 40 volunteers. However, while volunteers provide vital support services, most of these individuals are not trained firefighters or EMTs. Currently only 2 are trained firefighters. None are EMTs.
Two additional fully-trained firefighter/EMTs would be hired if the levy is approved. This additional staffing would result in:
The proposed 97¢ per $1,000 of assessed (not market) value is an increase of 47¢ over the current levy rate. For a District-average home with an assessed value of $218,000, the cost of the replacement levy would be approximately $211 a year, or $17.58 a month. This is a $102 per year or $8.50 per month increase over the current levy.
The current levy expires in 2025. If a new levy is not approved, the District would need to reduce current staffing from 3 to 1 firefighter/ EMT & increase its reliance on volunteers.
However, as people’s lifestyles have changed over the past decades & the skills needed to provide emergency medical & firefighting services have increased, the District, like fire districts nationwide, are finding it harder to recruit, train, & retain volunteers.
To learn more about the District, the levy, or
what you can do to prevent fires & help save
lives, visit us at:
1185 Tucker Road
Hood River, Oregon 97031
Station phone: 541 386-1550
www.westsidefire.com
Chief Administrative Officer, Doug Kelly
Emergency: Call 9-1-1
In 2023, West Side Fire responded to 473 emergency calls. Almost three-quarters of these calls were medical emergencies.
Yearly Call Volume
West Side Fire’s total tax rate — including the permanent rate and the local option levy — is below that of most other nearby fire districts. The table below provides a comparison of 2023-24.
