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New Fire Station?
Fire district seeking comments

Okanogan County Fire District 6 has invited the public to the next meeting of the Board of Fire Commissioners on Monday, February 11th at 7:00 p.m. at the Twisp Fire Station at 434 Second Avenue, according to a District 6 news release.

“The Fire Commissioners would like to hear comments from the community about a larger fire station it is proposing to build in Winthrop,” states the release. “A larger facility will provide a more rapid emergency response, shelter expensive emergency equipment, and provide training space for the volunteer firefighters who serve district residents”.

“We are in the early planning phase for this building,” said Fire Chief Don Waller. “We want to know what questions the community might have and make sure they are part of this process.”

The current Winthrop station is too small for equipment and apparatus and there is no place to expand, according to the news release. Some apparatus must be parked outside, leaving it vulnerable to weather and vandalism. During emergency calls, firefighters struggle to find enough room to don their bunker gear while others are moving equipment and vehicles for a call. Another safety concern is that the current building is located in a residential neighborhood and the hill in front of the station is dangerous and icy during winter. Waller says these last three issues are impacting the fire district’s ability to provide a timely response to emergencies.

“There are real public safety concerns that we have with the existing facility,” said Chief Waller. “We want to be able to roar out of the station when there is an emergency, but the truth is that we creep along because of people and children playing, or ice on the roads.”

The fire district has reduced the amount of money it needs to borrow for this project by purchasing the property and doing site work in advance, as well as by planning to use a modular building. The next step will be to determine the final costs for the modular structure, and then asking taxpayers to approve a levy lid lift sometime this fall. Interest rates and construction costs are at an all-time low, which makes it financially prudent to tackle this project now.

Fire district residents who are unable to attend the meeting are encouraged to send their comments and questions to Fire Chief Don Waller, Okanogan County Fire District 6, 434 Second Avenue, Twisp, WA 98856. Comments may also be emailed to dwaller@okanogancountyfd6.com.

Founded in 1960, Okanogan County Fire District 6 covers an area of approximately 350 square miles making it the largest fire district in the county. The district provides fire, rescue and emergency response services from Gold Creek to Lost River, including unincorporated areas and the communities of Carlton, Twisp, Winthrop, and Mazama. A team of career and volunteer firefighters serves 4,000 residents and protects more than 3,500 structures. For more information about District 6, visit www.okanogancountyfd6.com.

2/1/2013
Sheela McLean
updated 2/11/13: District does not include all unicorporated areas


Comments
Have a comment?

Thanks for the information. I'll try to attend. I have a question regarding the location: if Horizon Flat Road is blocked for any reason, how would fire fighters get to and from the fire station? Homes are built with multiple exits for fire safety, why are we considering building a fire station that only has one exit?

Brian Drye

Winthrop


Brian, thanks for the comment. Yes, it is important for people to have more than one way in and out because of wildland fires - and we have taken this into consideration at the new location. We have special firefighting vehicles that enable us to create multiple entry and exit points, if needed. However, it is more likely that we will be away from the building working the fire at the time it occurs, and the building will be landscaped to survive a wildland fire while we are gone.

Don Waller

Chief Okanogan County Fire Dist.6

Winthrop


Thanks for the reply. Sorry, I'm still confused. For example, suppose a semi truck gets stuck blocking Horizon Flat Road, how would firefighters drive to the station when notified of a call? Or, assuming someone was at the station, how would they drive a fire truck to the call if Horizon Flat Road is blocked? My main concern is that the proposed location does not have at least two convenient ways of driving in and out.

Brian Drye

Winthrop


If there is any kind of accident or blockage on Horizon Flats Road, our fire district would likely be working the scene to clear the blockage. Firefighters can get close to the station and walk if needed, as there is just a small area where one could not bypass. If firefighters were at the station, and there was a blockage, we would use four wheel drive vehicles to go around it, or respond from a neighboring station. This is current procedure for multiple emergency calls. Please let me know if you have other questions or concerns.

Don Waller

Chief Okanogan County Fire Dist.6

Winthrop