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Sunnyside council approves surplus engine grant application and mobilization pay policy for state deployments
Summary
Council approved applying for a surplus brush engine from the Washington Department of Natural Resources and adopted a policy allowing exempt city employees deployed on state incidents to receive overtime when reimbursed by the state.
The Sunnyside City Council voted to authorize two measures aimed at strengthening the city's wildland firefighting capacity and clarifying pay rules for employees who deploy to state-managed incidents.
First, the council approved an application to the Washington State Department of Natural Resources' surplus engine program. Fire officials said the city would receive a surplus type-5 brush engine at no purchase price if awarded; the vehicle would require an estimated upfit cost of roughly $7,700 plus licensing and delivery. Fire staff said purchasing a comparable new vehicle would cost roughly $200,000 to $225,000, making the surplus option a significant savings for Sunnyside.
Second, the council adopted a resolution authorizing overtime eligibility for exempt city employees who mobilize to work outside normal hours and jurisdiction on state all-risk mobilizations when the city is reimbursed by the state. Fire Chief Hobrick told council that reimbursement rates for mobilized resources and personnel are set by the state; overhead/exempt positions are reimbursed based on the agency's compensation and benefits. He described the DNR/Forest Service reimbursement structure as 100 percent for regular hours and 150 percent for overtime/after-hours work, and noted that the city's participation carries no net cost to the city because salary, benefits and equipment use are reimbursed while the employee is on deployment.
Chief Hobrick said the surplus-engine route would allow the department to get a smaller, off-road-capable unit into tighter brush areas and would enable participation in state mobilizations that pay roughly $3,500 per day for such resources. He also said the surplus program requires the city to operate the vehicle as a brush truck for one year; after that period the city may repurpose it if it is not meeting operational needs.
Councilor Hancock moved approval of the engine application; the deputy mayor seconded. Council later approved the mobilization compensation resolution on a motion by the deputy mayor and a second by Councilor Hancock. Both measures passed on unanimous roll-call votes.
