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Bear Creek Fire chief outlines FY27 budget, warns housing and water shortages threaten volunteer ranks
Summary
Fire Chief Richard Bracken presented the Bear Creek Fire Service Area FY27 budget to the Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly’s Committee of the Whole, citing a 3.25 mill rate, a $46,529 (4.16%) budget increase driven by wages and insurance, and long‑term concerns about housing, staffing and limited water in three subdivisions.
Fire Chief Richard Bracken told the Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly’s Committee of the Whole that the Bear Creek Fire Service Area’s proposed fiscal year 2027 budget is funded by a 3.25 mill rate and reflects a $46,529 increase, or about 4.16 percent, driven primarily by personnel and insurance costs.
The presentation, delivered in Seward, said the service area currently has three paid staff (a fire chief, a full‑time fire technician and two three‑quarter positions covered in part by FISA funds) plus volunteers and maintains a fleet that includes two pumpers, three tankers, one support truck, two ambulances and six ATVs for search and rescue. Bracken said the department took delivery of a new ambulance and used volunteer nonprofit status to secure no‑cost shipping that…
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