Fire Commissioners Review Wildland Fires, Overlapping Calls — and Taxes

(picture courtesy OIFR of Minnow Creek Fire, July 2017)

— by Susan McBain and Margie Doyle —

At their regular meeting on Monday, Aug. 21, Orcas Island Fire and Rescue (OIFR) Commissioners heard progress reports on summer operations, new initiatives and updates to the accounting, computer and website systems at the district.

They also reviewed summer brush fires and the response to a collision between a house and a runaway car.

Commissioners in attendance at the meeting were Barbara Bedell, Amanda Montague, Jim Helminski and Tim Fuller.

Administration
Chief Scott Williams presented the first budget-vs.-actual in a newly-adopted format. Commissioner Jim Helminski said the district should develop a finance committee. Williams proposed two-hour board workshops on the 2018 budget for September and October; before he presents the budget in November. The current Strategic Plan expires in 2018, and the district will be discussing the process for a new 3-to-5 year Strategic Plan.

Williams noted that OIFR should now evaluate its business practices. He’s structuring the administration and operations to be up-to-date with current standards and best practices. He would like to institutionalize best practices for governing boards as well.

The new marine program has been used to support medical needs off-island, which has added expenses. Williams suggested making the program sustainable by billing for services.

Cost Recovery
The Cost Recovery system is going well, Williams reported. Emergency Medical Services (EMS) brought in about $96,000 for the first half of the year. the Orcas District is one of approximately 90 districts in the state that use such a program to recovery insurance coverage expenses where possible. The OIFR Cost Recovery system was begun in  September, 2015. Components of the program identified at that time included:

– “Orcas resident” is broadly defined to include property owners, renters, and seasonal workers
– Orcas residents will never be billed for out-of-pocket expenses
– Any person can apply for a hardship fee waiver, and the Chief can grant a waiver
– The Cost Recovery fee schedule was derived from average variable costs incurred by OIF&R per response
– Our billing vendor bills on a flat fee basis per claim. Unlike other vendors charging a percentage of fees collected, our vendor’s only incentive is to provide efficient service
(See (https://theorcasonian.com/guest-column-cost-recovery-helps-with-increasing-emt-calls/)

Call volume
Call volume is up about 80 calls over last year, although the rate of increase in calls since 2012 has dropped a bit. Overlapping call volume (where more than one call is attended to at the same time) is still in mid-20 percentage of all calls. Last year during May-June, overlapping calls  were 30-33 percent of call volume. Williams explained that advanced life support (ALS) calls require a paramedic; basic life support (BLS) calls require an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT). If a paramedic is with an ALS patient, he/she can’t leave.

Wildland Fires
Fire and Rescue personnel responded to three wildland fire calls:

• Lime Quarry fire after receiving a report of smoke
• Minnow Creek fire by Pinneo Road in the Orcas neighborhood
• Raven Lane off Cormorant Lane in Deer Harbor

Department of Natural Resources (DNR)  personnel from from Sedro-Wooley and San Juan Island and Lopez island fire crews were called in to help with mop-up.

Community Rescue
A dump truck ran into a house near the Post Office in Olga. There were no injuries, and there was good coordination among OIFR, sheriff’s deputy, OPALCO and Orcas Towing. Island Hardware brought out wood to shore up the house. “It was a community effort,” said Williams.

IRS Fine negotiated
The federal Internal Revenue Service (IRS) accepted the OIFR fee towards payment of a negotiated payment of $3,000 for fines and  back taxes. The payment was first set at more than $200,000 for non-payment of Social Security taxes. OIFR personnel have said that the oversight came after a misinterpretation of county agencies’ responsibility for the taxes.

Public comments
Public attendees Ed Sutton and Pierrette Guimond urged the commissioners to keep the public informed. Commissions Helminski suggested changing the format so that the commission can get back to questioners with answers—perhaps two comment periods.