June 14--WALLA WALLA -- A request to have local fire districts kick in to help train emergency rescue teams has come up dry.
In February, city officials began asking Walla Walla County rural fire districts to pay $1,000 a year to train the city's nine-member technical response team used for everything from hazmat to rescue calls.
"I was just trying to get some training money to keep the certification of those members," Fire Chief Bob Yancey reported at a Council work session last week. "Unfortunately nobody in the county decided to participate in our TRT (Technical Response Team) contract."
Without a contract, the city will bill county fire districts $2,400 for each rescue operation its team is called to, plus additional expenses.
The problem is some district chiefs expect to go years without a rescue call.
Yancey said he heard back from most of the county fire chiefs who, for the most part, said their yearly budgets were too small and the chances of needing a rescue team was too rare to justify the annual expense.
Officials with Fire District 5 in Burbank said they were actually closer to rescue teams in the Tri-Cities and would rely on them for support.
Fire District 4, which borders Walla Walla, agreed to provide two firefighters to train in high and low angle, confined space and swift water rescues in exchange for the $1,000 annual fee.
Yancey said the money collected will be used to pay salary incentives for the nine rescue team members and their training.
The nine are paid a total $17,170 each year to maintain certifications and attend training; another $9,300 is paid each year in training expenses.
Alfred Diaz can be reached at [email protected] or 526-8325.
Copyright 2014 - Walla Walla Union-Bulletin, Wash.
