Battle Ground resident Gary McPeak shares his concern that Fire District 3 won’t be able to respond in the case of wildland fires
I read about Larch Corrections Center closing and am concerned about my fire district’s ability to respond in case of wildland fires. There was a big one a few years ago and more are coming. I live in Clark County Fire District 3 and we don’t have enough people to replace those wildland fire crews that have left.
![Gary McPeak](https://www.clarkcountytoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Mug_Clark-County-Today-Gary-McPeak.jpg)
I worked in the fire service for 34 years. When I started back in 1960 the fire department that employed me had 3- and 4-person engine crews. Fire District 3 has only 2-person engine crews and it’s 2024!
That’s not enough people to enter a burning building. By law you need three which means our firefighters have to wait for another engine to arrive. We can’t even staff all our fire stations full-time. This is unsafe for our community.
Fire District 3 is asking our community to approve a fire levy lid lift to hire more firefighters. I know all of us are paying more for everything. But I think the most important public service funded by tax dollars is fire/EMS.
This is not because I was a firefighter. It’s because it saves lives.
Gary McPeak
Battle Ground
Also read:
- POLL: Should Joe Biden remove himself from the presidential election?Should Joe Biden remove himself from the presidential election?
- Letter: ‘Do you want what’s happened to the city of Portland to happen in Clark County?’Washougal resident Mike Johnson discusses the transportation issues residents of Southwest Washington are facing.
- Opinion: When Government permit processes kill small businessMark Harmsworth of the Washington Policy Center shares an example of how government delays and red tape destroy small businesses.
- POLL: Who do you think won the presidential debate? President Joe Biden? Former President Donald Trump?Who do you think won the presidential debate? President Joe Biden? Former President Donald Trump?
- Opinion: Who wins if Semi Bird attacks Jim Walsh?Clark County resident Mark Moore believes ‘this is a moment in time when we need mature, disciplined leadership.’ Moore also believes Jim Walsh is the man to lead the WSRP and Semi Bird is the man to lead our state government.