June 19--The Lewiston Fire Department has maintained a handful of private fire protection contracts outside the city limits for decades, and interest in new contracts has Chief Garry DeJong exploring whether he could take on the added responsibility.
DeJong said he is in the process of cleaning up the old contracts, which aren't standardized because they were created through various governmental processes.
"The majority (of existing contracts) were for various fire districts that are gone now," DeJong told the Nez Perce County Commission Tuesday.
Taking on new contracts would require city council approval, and DeJong met with commissioners to make sure they had no objections as he works toward making a presentation to the city in September. Lewiston currently does not allow the fire department to enter into new fire protection contracts, but the old contracts are grandfathered in, he said.
The area of city impact -- immediately surrounding the Lewiston city limits -- would probably be the territory where any new contracts would be considered, because city response times outside that zone would simply be too long. The area is already covered by the Nez Perce County Fire Department, but having additional fire protection would significantly decrease insurance premiums for any residences or businesses that acquired them, DeJong said.
Commissioners Douglas Zenner, Robert Tippett and Douglas Havens said they had no objections to the city taking on new contracts, and Nez Perce County Fire Chief Ron Hall agreed.
"We fight enough fires," Hall said. "We don't need to ask for more."
If the city allows the fire department to begin accepting new contracts, DeJong said not every property owner that applies will be accepted. The department would have to create a set of requirements that would ensure that contracts are granted only for properties that could realistically be protected.
A property that is too far away from a water source or not up to fire code are examples of situations that could be unacceptable.
"There are some properties that we may not want to protect, but you don't want it to be too arbitrary," he said. "We can come up with some very valid criteria."
The existing contracts would be honored, even if they end up falling outside of the new parameters, DeJong said.
The fire department has 16 contracts. Commercial entities with the protection include ATK, the Lewiston Livestock Market, Forest Auto Parts and the Lewiston Roundup Association. Some of those businesses have multiple structures under contract. The rest of the contracts are for public buildings, like the Lewiston Orchards Irrigation District's chlorine storage facility, and private residences.
The cost for the extra fire protection ranges from $200 per year for a residence, to thousands of dollars per year for the bigger businesses.
DeJong said about a half-dozen people have recently inquired about new contracts. But he cautioned that he is in the earliest stages of exploring the possibility, and predicted that a decision from the city council won't likely come until next year.
Mills may be contacted at [email protected] or (208) 848-2266.
Copyright 2013 - Lewiston Tribune, Idaho
