NEW STATION
WHY A NEW STATION
Glide Fire started with three equipment bays in 1976 and even before the new engine arrived the station needed to be modified to accommodate the new engine. In 1976 three bays a small training room and no office space was enough for a volunteer department that responded to only a few dozen calls a year. Fast forward to 2009. Today we have 10 pieces of equipment 30+ volunteers and responded to 365 calls last year. We respond to calls from Black Top Hill to Dry Creek and Wolf Creek Job Corps to Echo Bend. Glide Fire is the first responder to all EMS calls, river rescues, motor vehicle accidents, chemical spills, wildland fires and is the primary response for all structure fires in the Glide area. The current station can no longer accommodate all of our equipment, doesn’t have adequate training space, and can’t support sleeping areas for volunteers. Conducting daily business from the station is a challenge. The one office in the main building is shared by the business manager, the training officer and the bookkeeper. We have a rented trailer out back that houses the chief, deputy chief and the EMS coordinator and has a futon the volunteers can sleep on if needed. Not only is the building over 30 years old and in need of major updates and repairs, our volunteer force is also getting older. The average age of our volunteers is 48 years old. Those volunteers who have been with the department for more than 10 years average 54 years old and the average years of service is 13 years. Glide fire along with all other volunteer departments in the country is having a hard time attracting new qualified volunteers, and like many departments without new volunteers we can’t continue to exist.
As with most volunteer organizations there are a few key people that do most of the work. While a full time office manager takes care of most of the day to day business of the fire department, responding to runs falls to the volunteer force. Last year of the 365 calls about 80% were medical aid; this is typical of most fire departments throughout the nation. Of the 365 calls 70% of them were handled by the same eight people in the department whose average age is 56 years old. These are all key people who have been with the department over 15 years. In order for us to continue the rapid response to medical aid and fire calls we need a large, highly trained volunteer force ready to respond 24 hours a day 7 days a week.
A new station will accomplish several goals of the fire department for the short and the long term. For the short term a new station will house all our equipment. It will provide the training space needed, and provide space for day to day operations. In the long term it will provide sleeping quarters for volunteers to cover night shifts. Sleeping/living quarters also gives the department the possibility to house firefighting students from the UCC fire science program giving us better coverage on a 24 hour basis. Many volunteer and paid departments utilize a volunteer student sleeper program with great success; it is a win/win situation for both parties. Currently we have several students in the Glide area that are in programs with other departments because Glide fire doesn’t have living quarters
We have been working on a new station for the last ten years. The officers and Board have investigated different sites, and remodeling the current station. Throughout the process we have come to the conclusion that our current location would serve the community the best and that while remodeling this station is feasible it would not meet the future needs of the department and the growing needs of the community. We all know that now is not the best time to ask the community for a tax levy, however it is one of the best times in recent history to build. The price of raw materials is down, contractors are bidding jobs lower than they ever have, and our community needs the work. Now is the right time to build. If you think that the cost of a new station is high, you might want to check out the cost of no fire station. Glide Fire has always been conservative with the funds we receive. We have looked for the best value for your money and have strived to provide the highest level of service at the lowest cost. Each year we under spend our budget and save what is left over for new equipment and building construction. We have always looked at buying used or building our own when possible in order to save money. In looking at a new station we will continue to do the same thing. We will continue to look for grants to offset taxpayers costs, and look for ways to save money in the building of a new station. Be assured that just because we pass a tax levy for 3.5 million, that if we get a grant, or find a way through donations to reduce that cost to the taxpayers that we will. Just because the taxpayers pass a 3.5 million levy doesn’t mean that we will use all of it if we don’t need to. Glide Fire doesn’t work that way. If you have concerns please stop by the station and talk to one of the officers or show up at a board meeting. Board meetings are the first Wednesday of each month at 7:00
Dan Tilson
Fire Chief
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