To Save Money Everett Exploring Regional Fire Authority With Tulalip And Snohomish

Wednesday night the Everett City Council voted to form a Fire Authority Planning Committee to explore the process that could lead to the formation of a Regional Fire Authority made up of the Everett Fire Department, Fire District 15 which serves the Tulalip area and Fire District 4 which serves the City of Snohomish and surrounding area.

A committee made up of city councilmembers Scott Bader and Brenda Stonecipher along with Everett Mayor Cassie Franklin has been meeting with Everett Fire Chief Dave DeMarco to talk about forming a Regional Fire Authority. Chief DeMarco has been having conversations with area fire departments on a potential RFA with some expressing interest and others declining to enter into discussions.

Councilmember Scott Bader brought up the subject at Wednesday night’s council meeting and revealed two motions that had been given to Council President Tuohy for action by the Council. The first motion formed the Fire Authority Planning Committee and the second named the committee members as Bader, Stonecipher and Franklin.

Council member Scott Murphy said he was concerned there was no heads up on this and asked about the costs to the city for exploring the idea and wondered how the committee would keep the council and citizens informed. The Mayor called the motions housekeeping matters and formalizing what council members knew was being done.

Chief DeMarco told the city council the committee would be hiring a consultant that would cost between 20 – 25 thousand dollars with the cost spit between the three entities participating. The committee will meet every couple of weeks and Everett’s portion of the costs would come out of the Fire Department’s Management and Operations budget. Minutes would be taken of the meetings and made public.

The city council voted unanimously to approve the formation of the committee to explore the process, costs and ramifications of forming a Regional Fire Authority.