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Bear Creek Fire Service Area proposes standby pay, ambulance gurney in FY26 budget
Summary
Chief Richard Bracken told the Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly Committee of the Whole the Bear Creek Fire Service Area will add standby pay for paid staff, is purchasing a new ambulance and is planning ALS training while relying on volunteers and Seward Volunteer Ambulance Corps for transport.
Chief Richard Bracken, chief of the Bear Creek Fire Service Area, told the Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly Committee of the Whole on April 15 in Seward that the department’s FY26 budget includes new standby wages for paid staff and a capital request tied to a new ambulance.
The budget proposal adds a standby wage that increases personnel costs by $33,559, Bracken said, and requests $45,000 to purchase and install a power gurney and loading system timed to the arrival of a replacement ambulance that is currently in production. The district plans to expand in-house emergency medical training to offer EMT‑2 and an advanced life support (ALS) program, Bracken said.
The changes come as Bear Creek prepares for “stand‑alone transport” if regional partners face gaps. “Bear Creek will begin preparations to provide stand alone transport to the service area if the need arises,” Bracken said. He also told the assembly Bear Creek currently has about 30 volunteers and roughly 50 calls per year across fire, wildland and…
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