Skagit County Fire District 13 is making a big push to showcase its latest investment in public safety.
The local fire district, whose coverage area includes Swinomish Reservation and rural La Conner, has scheduled an Oct. 22 “Push-In” to celebrate its recent purchase of a Florida-built 2025 Pierce Kenworth tender truck.
A “push-in” is a ceremony during which firefighters welcome a new rig into service by pushing it manually into its station bay.
Fire Chief Wood Weiss told district commissioners at their meeting last Thursday that a large turnout of firefighters will be needed for next month’s event.
“It’s a big beast,” Weiss said of the new heavy-duty tender, which can carry up to 3,000 gallons of water to fire scenes. “It’s a beauty.”
Commission chair Bruce Shellhamer noted during the panel’s Sept. 18 session that the district has paid off rather than financed the $368,000 balance owed on the tender.
Weiss said the new tender, now undergoing a final mechanical review, is a long-sought addition to the District 13 emergency services fleet. The district’s present tender is 35-years-old.
The “push-in” is scheduled for 6 p.m. and will coincide with an open house at the fire station that night.
The open house will precede by 13 days the district’s Nov. 4 multi-year levy lid lift ballot measure. District 13 is seeking a levy increase of 52 cents per $1,000 assessed property valuation in support of its fire and emergency services.
The levy proposal would allow the district to collect $1.11 per $1,000 valuation, up from the present 59 cents per $1,000 rate. State law requires voter approval of levy increases of more than one per cent per year.
According to Shellhamer, the average property value in District 13 is $467,000. If approved, he said the district’s levy lid lift would cost persons owning property assessed at the average valuation an additional $20 per month.
A $1.11 per $1,000 levy rate would be well below the maximum statutory rate of $1.50 per $1,000, Shellhamer pointed out during a commission meeting this past summer.
District Secretary Tracy Berg said ballots for the Nov. 4 election will be mailed on Oct. 15.
In other Fire District 13 business …
Capt. Ted Taylor, the district’s emergency management coordinator, reminded commissioners that the Great ShakeOut, an annual earthquake drill and preparedness event is set for Oct. 16. Taylor said a plan is being developed for specific drills the district will employ for this year’s ShakeOut.
Taylor and Capt. Andrew Lester recently attended a traffic and crowd management course. Taylor said there is a “crying need for volunteers” should areas within District 13 require emergency evacuations. “If we ever had to evacuate Shelter Bay, we would need at least 12 people for traffic control. We have an evacuation plan, but we need to continue to push for volunteers,” Taylor said.
Commissioner John Doyle was lauded for the work that he, Ollie Iversen, Maggie Wilder, and other volunteers have done to refurbish and repaint the popular salmon slide at Conner Waterfront Park. Doyle said three coats of sealant have been applied to protect the iconic slide’s surface from winter moisture damage.
Bill Reynolds is a general assignment reporter for La Conner Community News.
