UPDATED: 10/21/19
(09/25/2019; CAMAS, WA)
In Februrary 2019, Camas firefighters were called out to a house fire on Prune Hill at around 2:20PM. As reported by The Columbian, Camas-Washougal Fire Department Battalion Chief Mark Ervin said the two responding firefighters found the house and garage were filled with light smoke. As they walked around the building, they knocked on the garage door, then heard someone knock back and call for help, he said. The firefighters used a chain saw to cut a hole into the garage and pulled out a 76-year-old man. They also retrieved a dog.
But the two firefighters were forced to make an impossible decision that day in Camas, one that would touch off a series of events that would uncover the dark realities of our underfunded fire department. They had to decide whether to rescue the man themselves or follow Washington Administrative Code, which states if “responders find a known rescue situation where immediate action could prevent the loss of life or serious injury, such action shall only be permitted when no less than three personnel (two-in, one-out) are present and equipped to provide emergency assistance or rescue of the team entering the hot zone.”
The firefighters did their jobs and saved the man and his dog.
A few weeks after the fire, the East Clark Professional Fire Fighters union posted about the incident on Facebook along with their complaints that the city needed to up the staffing levels for the department. The Washington State Department of Labor & Industries eventually issued three violations against the City of Camas, totaling a combined $4,800 in fines. Two of the three violations were listed as “serious” by the state department.
Camas city officials appealed the fines, but the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries upheld the findings of safety violations against the city. Camas officials were forced to allocate nearly $1 million to hire four new firefighters to the Camas Washougal Fire Department, along with one deputy fire marshal, who would be tasked to complete a huge backlog of new and existing inspections.
Unfortunately, it's not enough.
The President of the East Clark Professional Firefighters, the fire department's union, said the city still needs to add more firefighters to deal with a longtime shortage of firefighters. "We need 12 firefighters in order to effectively and safely respond to structure fires," said Adam Brice, president of the East Clark Professional Firefighters. Brice had been pushing for the city to hire additional firefighters for almost a year. Mayor Shannon Turk did not respond to KATU News after multiple requests for comment. City Manager Pete Capell previously told KATU News it would take millions for the city to hire new firefighters.
Watch KATU's video report here: https://katu.com/news/local/camas-to-allocate-funds-to-hire-new-firefighters
While City Officials vigorously fight to build a $72M aquatic center with taxpayer dollars, Camas residents are still left virtually unprotected from immediate fire rescue during a response. Often, the trucks still arrive on a fire scene with two firefighters. If they need to rescue a trapped inhabitant, they still must wait until a 3rd firefighter arrives, or once again violate Washington law.
How do Camas City officials justify the outrageous upfront cost of a $72M pool, while ignoring the desperate needs of our fire department? Are they really “listening” when the fire union repeatedly tells them that the current funding structure is completely inadequate and dangerous, only to respond by requesting a 20 year bond for a pool? And what does it say about the foresight of this City government, who knows that Camas is adding hundreds of new homes a year, but fails to adequately prepare by trading fire protection for swimming pools?
Camas residents should take no comfort in the fact that today, two first responders on a fire scene can put the fire out, but can't rescue trapped inhabitants inside until the 3rd man shows up. One can only hope that they are enjoying a swim in the new $72M pool, while their house is going up in smoke.
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