PORT TOWNSEND — Two fire districts have reached agreement to consolidate much of their operations and possibly eventually try to merge.
Jefferson County Fire District No. 6 (Cape George) and Fire District No. 1 (Chimacum) officials struck an accord during a downtown meeting Tuesday.
Next comes the Port Townsend City Council.
Earlier this year, the council agreed to consolidate its city Fire Department with District No. 6, which covers the area from the city limit to Four Corners Road.
Three council members present at this week’s meeting expressed their support for consolidating with District No. 1, which serves Chimacum, Port Hadlock, Marrowstone Island and the Port Townsend Paper Corp. mill.
“District No. 1 wants to do it as soon as possible,” said Ed Davis, a commissioner for the district.
“All three of us [on the District No. 1 board] want to go with this thing, and everybody is in agreement that this needs to be done.
“The question now is up to the City Council.”
Council members Kees Kolff, Geoff Masci and Laurie Medlicott said they will raise the issue during a City Council meeting probably in May.
The three have already been commended by other council members for their role in consolidating city fire operations with Fire District No. 6, which brought an additional firefighter to the city.
Council approval needed
The council’s approval would give the two districts the green light to consolidate their services and potentially take steps toward merging into one.
The Port Townsend Fire Department could also join the merger, if city voters approve annexation of the department.
The annexation means removing fire services from the financial and policy-making control of Port Townsend city government and allowing the merged superagency to collect tax funds separately.
“My recommendation is to consolidate, establish the track record and show that the district is prepared for annexation,” said Mike Mingee, chief of the consolidated Port Townsend Fire Department and Fire District No. 6.
The consolidation and potential merger would create a lot of benefits for all districts and departments, Mingee said.
The move would eliminate services duplication, avoiding having to purchase the fire apparatus that other agencies have, and provide a bigger, more flexible budget, he said.
Also, the merger and consolidation would allow more career staff to call upon whenever its needed, the chief added.