By Jessica Keller

The Courier-Herald

While the Buckley Fire Department has some breathing room after last week's election, the commissioners of Fire Protection District 12 have to decide what to do next.

Buckley's Proposition No. 1, which asked voters to extend an emergency medical services levy for six years at an increased rate of 50 cents per $1,000 assessed property value, overwhelmingly passed. At the same time, Fire District 12's Proposition No. 1, asking voters to approve a lid lift for fire services back to 50 cents per $1,000 assessed value, failed.

While the final votes have yet to be approved, Buckley Fire Chief Alan Predmore is pleased.

"I feel about as confident as you can at this time," he said last week.

The EMS increase will help the Buckley Fire Department go forward with some of the programs it has been considering, Predmore said. The additional funds will also help the department continue to enhance its response capabilities by ensuring the department has properly trained personnel responding at all times.

Predmore said the department also intends to finish its application to Pierce County asking for a license variance to provide advance life support on a part-time basis, either when available or when needed. He said the department has been waiting to see if the levy would pass before proceeding with the application because there would have been no point in applying if the department did not have adequate funding to begin with.

Predmore said the city is moving forward with developing a site plan for a new fire station, which may come up for vote next year. In the immediate future, however, Predmore, as the city's emergency management director, is all tied up completing a revised version of the city's emergency management plan.

"I'm almost completely consumed with that right now," he said.

On Fire District 12's end, however, commissioners will have to decide what its new plan is, now that voters have rejected for the second time a lid lift for fire services.

Commissioners from District 12 and the other Tri District commissioners of 20 and 22 met Monday night in their monthly meeting and were expected to discuss the direction of District 12 and the Tri District.

"At this point it doesn't really affect the Tri District at all," East Pierce Assistant Fire Marshall John McDonald said, adding for the moment, the Tri District will continue to move forward with its plans of working together.

McDonald said he was sure the commissioners were going to discuss the ramifications of the vote at Monday's meeting, but could not speculate on what their decisions may be, although he is fairly certain there is no intention by any of the District 22 or 20 board of commissioners to do anything to jeopardize the Tri District agreement.

"It would be unfortunate that there would be changes made that would have service implications in the communities based on this one vote," he said.

Jessica Keller can be reached at jkeller@courierherald.com.