CHAPTER 20. WHITMAN COUNTY FIRE DISTRICT #2 ANNEX 20.1 HAZARD MITIGATION PLAN POINT OF CONTACT Gaylon Hergert, President P.O. Box 221 St. John, Washington 99171-0221 Phone: (509) 648-4015 Cell #: (509) 994-4119 E-mail address: ghergert@iwon.com 20.2 DISTRICT PROFILE Fire District # 2 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 City of St. John. The purpose of the district is to provide fire protection services to the people of the district and the City of St. John. There are 27 volunteers. Approximately 100 people live in the district and 500 within the City of St. John. Land Area Owned <1 acre, shared with St. John Land Area Served 270 square miles List of Critical Infrastructure/Equipment 2004 International: $230,000 2001 Ford Brush Truck: $125,000 1995 Ford Rescue Truck: $30,000 1994 International: $40,000 1990 Ford Brush Truck $45,000 1990 Chevy Rescue $20,000 1976 International $20,000 1975 International Water $20,000 1956 Lafrance Pumper $30,000 1975 GMC Brush truck $70,000 1982 Chev rescue $10,000 Total Value of Critical Infrastructure/Equipment $740,000 List of Critical Facilities (Owned by District) Main Fire Station #2: $170,000 20-1
Whitman County Natural Hazards Mitigation Plan; Volume 2 Planning Partner Annexes Miller Substation: $50,000 Total Value of Critical Facilities $220,000 Value of Area Served $86,400, 000 20.3 OUTLINE OF AREA SERVED See map in Chapter 1. 20.4 CURRENT AND ANTICIPATED SERVICE TRENDS Based on data from the Washington State Office of Financial Management, St. John and its surrounding areas have experienced a relatively flat rate of growth. The overall population in St. John increased only 0.94 percent per year between 1990 and 2000 and has shown a 7 percent decrease from 2000 to 2005. With this rate of growth, the anticipated development trends for St. John and its surrounding areas are low to moderate, consisting primarily of residential development. Based on these population trends, it is anticipated that Fire District #2 will not see significant increases in serviced population in the immediate future. 20.5 NATURAL HAZARD EVENT HISTORY Type of Event NATURAL HAZARD EVENTS FEMA Disaster # (if applicable) Date Preliminary Damage Assessment Volcano 623 5/21/1980 Information not available 20.6 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 Flood $48,400 High 2 Severe Weather $2,200 High 3 Earthquake $57,600 Low 4 Volcano $1,000 Low 5 Wildfire No measurable impact on structures Medium 6 Drought No measurable impact on structures c 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. 20-2
20. WHITMAN COUNTY FIRE DISTRICT #2 ANNEX 20.7 EXISTING APPLICABLE NATURAL HAZARD MITIGATION CODES, ORDINANCES OR POLICIES None applicable 20.8 EXISTING APPLICABLE NATURAL HAZARDS MITIGATION ASSOCIATED PLANS AND/OR DOCUMENTS None applicable 20. 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* 11/1/2004 Firewise Not Participating at this time 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. 20-3
Whitman County Natural Hazards Mitigation Plan; Volume 2 Planning Partner Annexes 20.10 PROPOSED NATURAL HAZARD MITIGATION INITIATIVES MITIGATION INITIATIVES/ACTION PLAN Mitigation Initiative Hazards Initiative Addresses Administrating Agency Funding Sources Time Linea Goalsb Objectivesb 1.) Retrofit wooden access bridge that is vulnerable to flood. Flood Bond Issue Grant Funding: PDM/HMGP Long Term DOF 1, 2 3, 4, 5 2.) Purchase/place additional repeater within District service area to improve communication during emergencies. All Hazards General Fund DHS Grant funding Long Term DOF 1, 2 2, 4, 6 3.) Non-structural seismic retrofits of fire station facilities: tie down equipment, computers, etc. Earthquake Grant Funding: PDM/HMGP Long Term DOF 1, 2 3, 4, 5 4.) 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 #2 service area and continuing support/participation in the Whitman County Natural Hazards Mitigation Planning Partnership. All Hazards General Fund Short term OG 1, 2, 3 2, 6, 7 5.) Consider voluntary participation in the Firewise program that will provide benefits/incentives to the Citizens of Whitman County Fire District #2 service area for hazard mitigation. Flood, Wildfire General Fund Short Term 1, 2, 3 2, 6, 7, 8 6.) 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. All Hazards 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. 20-4
20. WHITMAN COUNTY FIRE DISTRICT #2 ANNEX 20.11 PRIORITIZATION OF MITIGATION INITIATIVES Initiative # 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 Medium 2 3 High Medium Yes No No Medium 3 3 High Medium Yes Yes No Medium 4 3 Low Low Yes No Yes High 5 4 Low Low Yes No Yes High 6 3 Low Low Yes No Yes High 20.11.1 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, 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 20.12 FUTURE NEEDS TO BETTER UNDERSTAND RISK/VULNERABILITY None at this time. 20.13 ADDITIONAL COMMENTS None at this time. 20-5