EMS levy set for August ballot

Published 1:30 am Wednesday, April 22, 2026

PORT ANGELES — Clallam County Fire District 2 commissioners unanimously approved a resolution on Tuesday to place an emergency medical services levy on the Aug. 4 primary ballot.

The levy, set at 50 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value — the maximum allowed under state law — would establish a new dedicated fund so the program would no longer draw from the district’s general fire levy.

Proceeds from an EMS levy are restricted to that purpose, including supporting basic life support and advanced life support services.

If approved by voters, the levy would fund emergency medical services for 10 years before it would require reauthorization.

Approval would require a 60 percent supermajority.

A Fire District 2 EMS levy failed in August 2024 with 52.9 percent voting against and 47.08 percent in favor of the measure.

Fire Chief Jake Patterson said the levy is aimed at increasing staffing to meet demand.

“Our plan is to hire more people,” he said.

The fire district has seen nearly a 98 percent increase in calls over 10 years, including about a 50 percent increase in the past five years.

Emergency medical calls account for 70 percent to 75 percent of the district’s total volume, Patterson said.

Crews already are seeing a seasonal increase in responses to popular recreation areas, including Devil’s Punchbowl and Storm King, as summer approaches.

The fire district responded to 156 incidents in March — about normal. Of those, 73 percent of were EMS-related, Patterson said.

Rosenbauer engine

The fire district is moving forward with the purchase of a new Rosenbauer fire engine that became available after another agency canceled its order, allowing Fire District 2 to buy the apparatus at a 2024 price rather than at the current cost.

The fire district has enough in its apparatus replacement fund to cover a roughly $500,000 chassis payment for a the new engine, which Patterson said is expected to be finished in August. The unresolved question is how to pay the remaining build-out at roughly $700,000.

Patterson outlined several options for commissioners, including a standard bank loan, a state loan program and financing through a community leasing partner. He also raised the possibility of paying the balance from the district’s apparatus replacement fund to avoid interest costs, although commissioners indicated they wanted to wait until later in the year — after they have a clearer picture of other district project costs, carryover funds and possible timber revenue — before deciding.

Junior taxing district

Commissioner Dan Huff reported on Monday’s Clallam County Revenue Advisory Committee meeting, saying a proposed expansion of stream buffer rules could reduce timber-related revenue distributed to junior taxing districts like Fire District 2.

Huff recommended commissioners not sign a Washington Forest Protection Association amicus brief at this time, citing the potential cost in legal fees, noting the board could revisit the issue later.

Commissioners also approved surplussing two engines — a 1998 engine that will be replaced by the new Rosenbauer unit and a DNR surplus engine — with plans to sell them once they are taken out of service.

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Reporter Paula Hunt can be reached by email at paula.hunt@peninsuladailynews.com.