A Message From the Chief
Due to the failure of Measure 9-23 in May, the La Pine Rural Fire Protection District eliminated two full-time and one half-time positions effective July 1, 2007.
The loss of budget dollars has forced a reorganization of the Fire District. This reorganization is designed to place primary emphasis on emergency responses and requires intense cooperation not only from all District personnel, but also from other districts bordering La Pine's response area.
The District was forced to lay off a Battalion Chief, a Prevention Officer, and a half-time Office Clerk. A mechanic's position will remain vacant when the current mechanic retires in September. Two firefighter/paramedic positions which were planned for lay-off will be salvaged by further cuts in expenditures in areas such as materials and services, apparatus, facilities, training, and equipment needs.
Services such as fire prevention, fire inspections, educational programs aimed at school-aged children, rescue services, community participation, and responses to reports of illegal open burning have been drastically reduced, and in some cases eliminated. Larger incidents and multiple simultaneous emergency calls will continue to stretch the District's response personnel to the edge of their ability to provide service.
Medical transports will continue to create understaffing in the District an average of 6 - 12 hours per day. Mutual aid partnerships with neighboring fire districts will continue. When mutual aid is provided by Sunriver or Crescent, the response time to La Pine will be a minimum of twenty minutes. This means that residents of the District can expect delays in response times as well as diminished levels of response.
The fire stations located on Huntington Road in La Pine and on S. Century Drive south of Sunriver will remain staffed. The station located on Burgess Road has again fallen to budget restrictions, resulting in no permanent staffing there.
Members of La Pine Fire District remain committed to focusing on the goals of creating financial stability and funding to the point of providing services within the existing tax base.