East Pierce Fire and Rescue details staffing, station expansion and call trends in Sumner update

East Pierce Fire and Rescue Chief John Parkinson gave an annual update to the Sumner City Council on July 14, outlining the district's staffing, capital projects and incident trends in 2024 and plans for 2025–26. Parkinson spoke during the council study session at 6 p.m.

Parkinson said the district's coverage area includes Milton, Edgewood, Sumner, Bonney Lake and several smaller towns, covering roughly 153 square miles and about 100,000 residents. "We responded to over 13,009 911 calls," Parkinson said, and because multiple emergency units typically respond to a single call, "over 30,000 emergency units were traveling down the roadways last year from East Pierce." He said the district's 2025 operating budget is just shy of $49,000,000 and that about 85% of expenses are wages and benefits.

The chief said East Pierce is largely funded by property taxes from within the district, noting a combined tax rate currently equal to $2.09 per $1,000 of assessed valuation. Parkinson said the district employs 198 full‑time staff, staffs eight stations 24/7 and keeps 36 personnel on duty at all times. "Over 85% of our expenses each year are wages and benefits,…