Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Emergency Services topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Fire chief urges permanent Life Flight pad and a 78¢ levy to shore up staffing
Summary
Fire Chief Greg Brody asked the council to support a permanent Life Flight landing pad at the Vernonia airport and described a fire-district levy request of 78¢ per $1,000 to boost staffing, fund a second ambulance and replace aging apparatus.
Fire Chief Greg Brody told the Vernonia City Council he is pursuing a permanent Life Flight landing zone at the city airport to reduce safety risks at ad hoc landings in Spencer Park and to make helicopter approaches more secure. “The word that comes to mind right now within our fire district is stability,” Brody said, adding that an airport pad would reduce pilot concerns about obstructions and crowding and would allow crews to land without needing on-site radio guidance.
Brody described a proposed roughly 40-by-40 concrete or asphalt pad near the hangars, possible conduit and lighting, and said two contractors inspected the site for grading and leveling estimates. In response to a council question about cost, Brody said, “The grant I’m looking at will probably pay about $25,000,” and that he expected contractor cost estimates within one to two weeks; in other remarks he also referenced a larger grant figure while describing prior grant work, indicating funding details are still being finalized. He said he would prepare plans and GIS maps to present to the city administrator and the airport commission for authorization.
Brody also described a fire-district ballot measure the board approved to request an additional 78¢ per $1,000 on top of the current $1.24 operating levy. He said the increase would allow expanded shift coverage (adding 12-hour shifts for daytime Fridays–Sundays), enable immediate staffing of a second ambulance and fund equipment purchases; Brody noted the district’s current reserve for apparatus replacement is about $42,000 and said recent funding included roughly $242,000 for new self-contained breathing apparatus. “We’re gonna get this all to the same number that they have,” he said of neighboring districts, arguing the levy would bring the district’s capacity closer to peers.
Next steps include Brody completing plans and cost estimates, presenting them to city staff and the airport commission, and returning to the council for authorization of any land-use or use agreements.
