OIFR Board Meeting: Deer Harbor Fire Hot Topic

— by Lin McNulty —

Deer Harbor Marina Fire: Fresh from the Deer Harbor Marina fire scene the night before, OIFR Chief Kevin O’Brien shared some interesting facts about the fire with the Board of Fire Commissioners in their monthly meeting on Tuesday evening.

Most noteworthy, was the venting of nearby propane tanks, which, although kept firefighters on the scene for hours applying water to keep the tanks cool, actually saved them from having to initiate a half-mile evacuation of the area. Had the tanks not vented, there could easily have been a BLEVE (Boiling Liquid Expanding Vapor Explosion) that could have been catastrophic.

District Financial Officer: Less exciting topics included extending the pro-tem District Financial Officer Mark Horaski’s contract another three months as the Department looks at ways to move more of the accounting tasks in-house and possibly contracting with an outside accountant to oversee the big ticket items.

Medical Evacuations: Chief O’Brien related details of a couple of recent EMS calls in which weather played a big part in delaying medical evacuation of patients. In one case a patient eventually had to be evacuated by a private vessel as no outside air evacuation was available because of weather conditions.

In another instance, not only did weather interfere with evacuation, but it was learned that new layers of bureaucracy had been added to the military response for assistance. EMS personnel spent nearly two and a half hours with an unconscious patient before San Juan Medevac was finally able to fly the patient off-island. This was after Airlift Northwest, San Juan Medevac, and a Navy or Coast Guard helicopter had been requested.

It was suggested by Commissioner Clyde Duke that perhaps it would be beneficial to “create our own network of qualified [boat] operators” who could be called upon during such times, that it could become a county-wide policy.

Levy 2015 Renewal: OIFR will soon be releasing a schedule of Town Hall and brown bag meetings with the public to discuss the upcoming April 22 levy vote, and to recruit additional members.

Washington Survey and Rating Bureau: The last evaluation of our firefighting capabilities was in 1988 by the Washington Survey and Rating Bureau. A new evaluation is currently underway. The study looks mainly at water supply on the island as a whole, and does not break down into specific neighborhoods.

The rating is also based on the requirement of at least four people assigned to each substation; these people need to live within five miles of the assigned station. Currently, the Doe Bay station needs more volunteers.

Deer Harbor Conditional Use Permit: When the Deer Harbor fire station was constructed, it had been thought it could be used as a community center, much like the Eastsound station currently is. As it now stands, the public cannot use the fire station. Negotiations with the county are underway for issuance of a permit, along with discussions with Deer Harbor residents about what they would like.

Dispatch Services: The Board approved payment of $40,000 to the San Juan County Sheriff’s Office for dispatch services. This charge is based on call volume and is adjusted every two-three years as an average of all departments.

Volunteer/HR/PIO Coordinator: Interviews for this position are continuing this week and an offer is expected to be made by week’s end.

Culvert Project: You may have noticed that culvert work has been ongoing at the Eastsound station. This was due to unstable soil which caused the culvert to cave in; it was hard on apparatus coming and going from the station. This project has now been completed at an approximate cost of $17,000. Due to change orders and a 28-day soil testing process, it is expected that a cost overrun of $1,121.79 will be incurred.

Station 21 Appliance Replacement: Whenever there is a fire or EMS call, all equipment and clothing must be laundered; it is a WAC (Washington Administrative Code) requirement. The department has been out of compliance due to old, failing, outdated equipment. The Board approved purchase of two washers, two dryers, along with two dishwashers and an oven.

Reimbursement and Travel Policy: Accountability for travel and meal reimbursement is being tightened in the department with clear, exact guidelines set for per diem amounts for which the department will pay.

Small Vehicle Report: A 2000 Nissan Xterra has been on loan from San Juan Fire District 3. The Board approved $1,000 to buy the vehicle. Including the Xterra, six small vehicles are owned by the department, two of which were by donation.