CHAPTER 21. WHITMAN COUNTY FIRE DISTRICT #7 ANNEX 21.1 HAZARD MITIGATION PLAN POINT OF CONTACT Bill Tensfeld, Fire Chief PO Box 291 Rosalia, Washington 99170 Phone: (509) 523-3151 E-mail address: bill5@rosaliafire.org 21.2 DISTRICT PROFILE Fire District #7 is a junior taxing authority. Three elected commissioners decide how tax funding is appropriated. This Board will assume the responsibility for the adoption and implementation of this plan. The district works in conjunction with the fire department of the Town of Rosalia. The purpose of the district is to provide fire protection services to the people of the district and the Town of Rosalia. Operations are funded 100 percent by property taxes. The department is serviced by 30 volunteer firefighters that protect an area of 175 square miles. Fire District #7 averages approximately 300 calls for service annually. Land Area Owned 1 acre Land Area Served 175 square miles List of Critical Infrastructure/Equipment 1 Rescue truck, 2 Brush Trucks, 1 Command, 1 Pumper Tender, 3 Attack engines, 1 Tender Value of Critical Infrastructure/Equipment $863,000 List of Critical Facilities (Owned by District) Fire Station 72 Value of Critical Facilities $150,000 Value of Area Served $57,000,000 21.3 OUTLINE OF AREA SERVED District boundaries are shown on the maps in Chapter 1. 21.4 CURRENT AND ANTICIPATED SERVICE TRENDS Calls for response increase on an annual basis. Increase in population is highly likely due to the District s location on Highway 195, halfway between Spokane and Pullman. The primary service area for Whitman County Fire District #7 is the Town of Rosalia. Rosalia s overall population increased at a rate of 1.62 percent per year between 1990 and 2000 and has shown a 21-1
Whitman County Natural Mitigation Plan; Volume 2 Planning Partner Annexes 0.3 percent increase from 2000 to 2005. With this rate of growth, the anticipated development trends for Rosalia are low to moderate, consisting primarily of residential development. It is anticipated that Whitman County Fire District #7 s calls for service and/or population served will increase at a similar rate. 21.5 NATURAL HAZARD EVENT HISTORY Type of Event NATURAL HAZARD EVENTS FEMA Disaster # (if applicable) Date Preliminary Damage Assessment Wildfire n/a 1978 Fire truck burned up in wheat fire Volcano 623 5/21/1980 Information not available 21.6 NATURAL HAZARD RISK/VULNERABILITY RISK RANKING Rank # Hazard type NATURAL HAZARD RISK RANKING Estimate of Potential Dollar Losses to Structures Vulnerable to the Hazarda Probability of Occurrenceb 1 Wildfire $405,200 Medium 2 Severe Weather $10,130 High 3 Earthquake $60,780 Low 4 Volcano $1,013 Low 5 Flood District owned facilities not susceptible to flooding High 6 Drought No measurable impact on structuresc High a. Building damage ratio estimates based on FEMA 386-2 (August 2001) b. High = Hazard event is likely to occur within 25 years; Medium = Hazard event is likely to occur within 100 years; Low = Hazard event is not likely to occur within 100 years c. Although this event would not impact structures, it could have an economic impact related to drought s impact on farming. 21.7 EXISTING APPLICABLE NATURAL HAZARD MITIGATION CODES, ORDINANCES OR POLICIES None applicable 21.8 EXISTING APPLICABLE NATURAL HAZARDS MITIGATION ASSOCIATED PLANS AND/OR DOCUMENTS None applicable 20-2
21. WHITMAN COUNTY FIRE DISTRICT #7 ANNEX 21. 9 COMMUNITY CLASSIFICATIONS The classifications in the following table address capabilities in all phases of emergency management (preparedness, response, recovery and mitigation). They are used in determining costs for various forms of insurance. The Public Protection classifications apply to standard property insurance. Classifications are on a scale of 1 to 10, with Class 1 being the best possible classification, and Class 10 representing no classification benefit. Criteria for classification credits are outlined in the Community Rating System Coordinators Manual, the Building Code Effectiveness Grading Schedule, and the Fire Suppression Rating Schedule. The Firewise program outlines ways for participating communities to promote land uses that reduce fire risk in wildland/urban interface areas. COMMUNITY CLASSIFICATIONS Program Classification Date Classified Public Protection 8/9* As of 10/1/2005 Firewise Not participating n/a * Higher classification applies to when subject property is located beyond 1,000 feet of a creditable fire hydrant and is within 5 road miles of a recognized fire station. 21.10 PROPOSED NATURAL HAZARD MITIGATION INITIATIVES MITIGATION INITIATIVES/ACTION PLAN Mitigation Addresses Administrating Agency Funding Sources Time Linea Goalsb Objectivesb 1.) Coordinate with Rosalia to purchase an emergency generator for water supply/sewage treatment plant, which continuous operation is critical to vital City services. All Rosalia City Council WCFD #7 General Fund, Bond Issue Grant Funding: CDBG, PDM, HMGP Short Term Ongoing DOF 1, 2 3, 4, 5 2.) Coordinate with Rosalia to continue promotion/implementation of water conservation program that includes: reducing leaks, replacement of infrastructure to reduce consumption of water. Implemented water conservation program via rate study, timed park automatic sprinkler systems, public information - To implement water conservation programs, reduce water use in City Parks, and inform public of conservation issues. Drought Rosalia City Council Utility Rates, CIP Fund Existing 6% utility tax on electricity Proposing utility tax on natural gas Long Term DOF 3, 4 3, 5, 6, 7 20-3
Whitman County Natural Mitigation Plan; Volume 2 Planning Partner Annexes Mitigation 3.) Acquire property in Thorton & Pine City: drill well and construct 25, 000 gallon reservoir 4.) Non-structural seismic retrofits: tie down equipment, computers, etc. at District owned facilities 5.) Public information program: create/distribute brochures on property protection from the impacts of natural hazards MITIGATION INITIATIVES/ACTION PLAN Addresses Wildfire 6.) Construct Fire District website All 7.) Support countywide initiatives that promote the education of the public on the impacts of natural hazards within Whitman County, and the preparedness for and the mitigation of those impacts. This support will be in the form of dissemination of appropriate information to the residents of Whitman County Fire District #7 service area and continuing support/participation in the Whitman County Natural Mitigation Planning Partnership. 8.) Consider voluntary participation in the Firewise program that will provide benefits/incentives to the Citizens of Whitman County Fire District #7 service area for hazard mitigation. Administrating Agency Rosalia City Council WCFD #7 Funding Sources Grant funding for property purchase. Bond Issue, CIP funding, Public Works Trust Fund for well/reservoir Time Linea Goalsb Objectivesb Long Term DOF 1, 2, 4, 5 3, 5, 9 Earthquake WCFD#7 General Fund Grant Funding: PDM, HMGP Short Term 1, 2 3, 4, 5 All Rosalia City General Fund Short Term 1, 2, 3 2, 6, 7 Council, WCFD#7 All WCFD#7 General Fund, Short Term 1, 2 2, 6, 7 WCFD#7 General Fund, Short Term OG 1, 2, 3 2, 6, 7 Wildfire WCFD#7 General Fund, Short Term 1, 2, 3 2, 6, 7, 8 20-4
21. WHITMAN COUNTY FIRE DISTRICT #7 ANNEX MITIGATION INITIATIVES/ACTION PLAN Mitigation 9.) Continue to coordinate and work with Whitman County Emergency Management in disaster response and preparedness. This level of coordination should include: updates to the Emergency response plan, development of a post disaster action plan, training and support. Addresses All Administrating Agency Funding Sources Time Linea Goalsb Objectivesb WCFD#7 General Fund, Short Term 1, 2, 3 2, 4, 6 a. Short term = 1 to 5 years; Long term = 5 years or greater, OG = Ongoing program, DOF=Depending on Funding b. See Volume 1, Chapter 5, Section 5.3.1 and Table 5-1. 21.11 PRIORITIZATION OF MITIGATION INITIATIVES # PRIORITIZATION OF MITIGATION INITIATIVES # of Objectives Met Benefits Costs Do benefits equal or exceed costs? Is project grant eligible? Can project be funded under existing programs/ budgets? Priority (High, Med., Low) 1 3 Medium Medium Yes Yes No High 2 4 Medium Low Yes No Yes High 3 3 Medium High No Partially No Low 4 3 High Medium Yes Yes No High 5 3 Low Low Yes No Yes High 6 3 Low Low Yes No Yes High 7 3 Low Low Yes No Yes High 8 4 Low Low Yes No Yes High 9 3 Low Low Yes No Yes High 21.11.1 Explanation of Priorities High Priority A project that meets multiple objectives (i.e., multiple hazards), has benefits that exceed cost, has funding secured or is an ongoing project and meets eligibility requirements for the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) or Pre-Disaster Mitigation Grant Program (PDM). High priority projects can be completed in the short term (1 to 5 years). Medium Priority A project that meets goals and objectives, that has benefits that exceed costs, and for which funding has not been secured but project is grant eligible under HMGP, 20-5
Whitman County Natural Mitigation Plan; Volume 2 Planning Partner Annexes PDM or other grant programs. Project can be completed in the short term, once funding is secured. Medium priority projects will become high priority projects once funding is secured. Low Priority A project that will mitigate the risk of a hazard, that has benefits that do not exceed the costs or are difficult to quantify, for which funding has not been secured, that is not eligible for HMGP or PDM grant funding, and for which the time line for completion is long term (1 to 10 years). Low priority projects may be eligible for other sources of grant funding from other programs. Prioritization of initiatives was based on above definitions X Prioritization of initiatives was based on parameters other than stated above: X 21.12 FUTURE NEEDS TO BETTER UNDERSTAND RISK/VULNERABILITY None at this time. 21.13 ADDITIONAL COMMENTS None at this time. 20-6