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College Place fire chief says department is volunteer-heavy and EMS-focused
Summary
Fire Chief David Winters told the commission the department responds to roughly 2,000 calls a year, is 80% volunteer with 45 members (8 paid), and that equipment and vehicle costs are a large share of the budget.
College Place Fire Chief David Winters told the Youth Advisory Commission on Feb. 19 that the department’s primary workload is emergency medical services and that the agency is largely volunteer-run.
“We mainly, what we do anymore is EMS response,” Winters said, and noted the department responds to about 2,000 calls annually. The department reported 45 members total, of whom eight are paid employees and the remainder are volunteers who staff shifts and dorms at the station.
Winters described the department’s mix of funding and costs: most funding comes from property tax, supplemented by ambulance service fees for frequent users (he said four nursing homes account for about 44% of run volume), grants and donations. He described equipment costs as high: a new fire engine purchased last year cost about $700,000; an individual air pack is about $8,500 and turnout gear roughly $4,000 per set.
The chief also explained the volunteer model: many small and rural departments rely heavily on volunteers, and College Place runs training programs and practicums that include college-age residents. He said about 30 of the department’s members are EMT certified, and two volunteer personnel are paramedics with other agencies.
Winters invited students and commissioners to consider volunteer opportunities and noted the department runs training courses (EMT and fire classes) and occasionally participates in mutual aid for wildland and structure fires in the region.
