News

The volunteer members of South Pend Oreille Fire & Rescue’s Camden Station 11 would like to thank the community for their generosity making the new fire station a dream come true! We are nearly complete with the finishing touches and hope you can be a part of our summer open house this July. Have fun and be safe this year at the Elk Days Festival!

» MAY NEWS ARTICLES

South Pend Oreille Fire and Rescue to Request Levy Lid Lift
Voters will have an opportunity to choose to continue the excellent level of fire and emergency medical service delivery in South Pend Oreille Fire & Rescue this coming August 17^th. The Board of Commissioners for South Pend Oreille Fire & Rescue approved sending a levy request to the voters within the fire district to approve a levy to sustain funding for the fire district operations. The levy request will be for 98 cents per thousand of assessed value. This levy is not an additional levy. The proposed levy rate was developed to replace two excess levies that expire at the end of 2010 and replace the existing general levy. The levy equates to a property owner with an assessed property value of $100,000 paying $98.00 per year for fire and EMS response services.

The Lid Lift levy will enable the district to continue to fund the EMS operations across the districts 149 square mile area. Emergency medical service requests equate to 79% of annual run volume for the district. In 2009, the fire district responded to over 200 EMS requests. This represents an increase of 50% compared to 2008. The levy will also allow the district to continue the ongoing efforts of maintaining and updating the fleet of equipment that serves our communities from the 5 fire stations.

The last time that voters were requested to approve a levy increase was in 2004/05. That year the voters approved a levy rate of 86 cents/ thousand. The fire district has been operating on an ever decreasing levy amount since that approval. The decreases are due to increasing land and property values, new construction and the annual 1 percent budget increase limitation. Since 2004 the district has increased run volume from just 111 calls per year to 301 in 2009. Costs associated with the increase have outpaced the revenue stream. Costs continue to escalate each year. Power costs, fuel costs and operating supplies all have increased at a rate that exceeds our levy limitations.

South Pend Oreille Fire & Rescue provides the most economical fire district in the region. When we take into account the number of calls, the amount of training and public education performed and the budget; dollar for dollar South Pend Oreille Fire & Rescue is the most economical. We deliver three times the service for half the money when compared to neighboring fire districts. To continue the superior service from over 60 dedicated volunteers we seek your continued support of your fire department. If the public has any questions regarding the levy they are encouraged to call the South Pend Oreille Fire & Rescue office at 509-447-5305 or by email at mark@spofr.org.

South Pend Oreille Fire and Rescue Changes Commissioner Meeting Dates
The commissioners of South Pend Oreille Fire and Rescue, at their regular meeting on April 14, 2010, approved the change of their regular meetings. Starting with the month of May 2010, the regular meeting of the Board of Commissioners will change from the 2^nd Wednesday to the 2^nd Thursday of each month. If you have any questions regarding the fire district, please give us a call @509-447-5305.

Newport Man Killed in Cloud Burst Car Crash

Two Others Injured, Two Dogs Killed in Head-on Highway 2 Accident
NEWPORT – A Newport man died instantly in a car accident on Highway 2 Friday afternoon, caused by a sudden rain and hail storm. Two others were airlifted to Sacred Heart Medical Center with serious injuries. Barry A. Hodges, 64, passed away. John J. Bixby, 55, of Riverside and Cheryl M. Farley, 54, of Newport were airlifted by two MedStar helicopters to the Spokane hospital where both were initially listed in critical condition. As of Monday, Bixby was in stable condition and Farley was in serious condition. Hodges was a passenger in the 1986 Buick Electra driven eastbound by Bixby at about 12:45 p.m. Friday, near Camden Road on Highway 2, 8 miles southwest of Newport near Diamond Lake. Farley was driving her 2008 Subaru Forester eastbound. A sudden hail and rain storm dropped about an inch of hail on the highway, making driving conditions difficult. Farley lost control of her vehicle, crossed into the westbound lane and struck Bixby’s vehicle. All three were wearing seatbelts, according to the Washington State Patrol.

Dean Keck, the incident commander from South Pend Oreille Fire and Rescue said two dogs also perished in the accident. South Pend Oreille was on the scene for nearly two hours. WSP officers and the Pend Oreille County sheriff’s office also responded. The highway was closed in both directions. The cause of the accident is listed as speed too fast for conditions, and Farley will be charged, according to the WSP.

By Michelle Nedved of the Miner

Miner Photo by Michelle Nedved

Published in the Newport Miner - May 5, 2010 RETURN TO TOP

» APRIL NEWS ARTICLES

Four-bay Uninsured Garage Lost in Blaze
USK – An electric arc inside of an automotive parts washer sparked a fire Monday morning, April 5 that consumed the four-bay garage Newport Start-N-Charge operated from in Usk. Fourteen firefighters responded, protecting the nearby home and a car storage building. The garage and two personal cars inside were a total loss, said Mark Havener, fire chief of Pend Oreille Fire District No. 4. Property owners Jamie and Dena McClinton didn’t respond to a call for a comment.

South Pend Oreille Fire and Rescue crews put down a blaze that consumed Newport Start-N-Charge Monday morning, April 5, near Usk. A four-bay car garage and shop was lost in the fire. South Pend Oreille Fire and Rescue chief Mark Havener said the fire started inside an automotive parts cleaner. (Courtesy photo by Cindy Merritt)

POFD 4 and SPOFR Firefighters Battle Garage Blaze

Havener said the fire started inside the automotive parts washer in the garage and shop Newport Start-N-Charge operated in. Start-N-Charge repaired electrical systems and alternators in vehicles. First, Jamie McClinton tried to put out the fire with a five-pound, dry chemical extinguisher, appropriate for the fire, Havener said. However, McClinton had no success, so he cut the power to the shop, stopping the heat at its source. However, enough heat apparently gathered in nearby combustible liquid to fuel the fire. The shop was fully involved when firefighters from South Pend Oreille Fire and Rescue, called in as mutual aid, first arrived on the scene.

Firefighters from the Kalispel Fire Department, South Pend Oreille and fire district No. 4 used about 7,000 gallons of water to put down the blaze and protect the nearby house. No firefighters were injured in the fight. The building and business housed inside it were a complete, uninsured loss, Havener said. Havener estimated the loss at about $100,000. The two cars burned inside the shop belonged to the McClintons.

By Youssef Sleiman of the Miner

Photo by SPOFR Photographer Cynthia Merritt

Published in the Newport Miner - April 14, 2010 RETURN TO TOP

SAFER - Proud Service

South Pend Oreille Fire and Rescue is proud of our service to the community. One of the elements of our service to the community is the response to and care for victims that are involved in motor vehicle accidents. These responses require many skills to effectively and safely serve our patient. Those skills include; auto extrication, EMS care, fire suppression, incident management and safety monitoring. South Pend Oreille Fire & Rescue offers all of these training opportunities to our members at no cost! We’d like you to become part of our team! South Pend Oreille Fire & Rescue is now serving new areas and we have the potential for you to become a new member. You can become a member of our winning team too and realize the satisfaction and benefits that come from being a volunteer firefighter! Please contact us through our website or for more information or call us 447-5305.

Safety Message

Please be careful with outdoor burning; pay attention to the weather and practice outdoor fire safety. For more information on outdoor burning and other safety issues please visit the Public Education, Emergency Preparedness and Wildfire pages of this website.

By SPOFR Chief Mark Havener - April 14, 2010

Photo by Photographer Dennis Merritt

Fire Districts Train Local EMTS

Emergency medical training ended March 24, giving students EMT certification after a 150-hour course. South Pend Oreille Fire and Rescue instructor Alex Arnold, back right, said the students “have devoted a lot of their own time to better the emergency medical services in their communities.” The following volunteers completed the three-month course earning EMT-Basic certification: South Pend Oreille Fire and Rescue’s Jake Miller, back left, Mike Murdoch, Clifton Fisher, Larry Eldridge, and Pend Oreille Fire District No. 5’s Bryant Kramer, front left, Lawsandra Kramer, South Pend Oreille’s Shannon Scott, Fire District No. 4’s Matt Sima, and South Pend Oreille Fire and Rescue's Dayton Allemand and Kenny Dennham, not pictured.