By Phil Kessinger
Harney Basin Rural Fire Dist. Committee

The Harney Basin Rural Fire District (HBRFD) Committee has been working on establishing the proposed boundary of the rural fire district.

Background

The committee has determined that there are basically two zones within the proposed area (see map on page 8). Zone A is mostly within 15 miles of Burns/Hines, with a likely “worst case” response time of 12-15 minutes from the Burns or Hines fire stations, 90 percent of the time. Zone B is 16-22 miles from Burns/Hines, with a response time generally greater than 20 minutes.

The HBRFD Committee recognizes that the rural Harney Basin has very different requirements than many other areas with rural fire districts. Many rural residents have multiple structures on their property and often the “lost cause” argument does not hold true in this area. For example, if you live in Zone B and your house is on fire, the fire department may not make it there in time to save your house, but they may be able to protect your barn, shop, equipment, haystack, etc. Or if your haystack catches on fire, the fire department may make it there in time to protect your home and other structures.
The HBRFD Committee has been working with representatives from the Special Districts Association of Oregon who provide assistance to up and coming rural fire districts. It will cost about $130,000 per year for the first three years to run this rural fire district.

Fire protection services will most likely be contracted from Burns and Hines. We have determined that if the HBRFD boundary extends out to encompass Zone B (the proposed rural fire district), the cost to residents within the fire district will be about $1.30/$1,000 of the final taxable value. If the rural fire district boundary only extends to Zone A (the green square on the map), the cost could be significantly higher, possibly up to $1.75/$1,000 of the final taxable value.

That is because there is less property within the smaller Zone A to amortize the expenses across.

Input needed

The HBRFD Committee would like to hear from residents within the proposed boundary who also do not live within the city limits of Burns or Hines. The committee needs to know if residents in Zone B (with a response time of more than 20 minutes) are willing to pay $1.30/$1,000 of the final taxable value, knowing that it is unlikely the fire engines can save the initial structure that is on fire. The committee needs to know if residents in Zone A are willing to pay up to $1.75/$1,000 of final taxable value if the Zone B residents are not willing to vote in the proposed larger district.

Here is the feedback the committee would like from rural residents:
1. Are you a resident of Zone A or Zone B?
2. Are you willing to pay $1.30/$1,000 of the final taxable value?
3. Are you willing to pay $1.75/$1,000 of the final taxable value?
4. Are you interested in being a volunteer in the rural fire district (in some capacity)?
A quick turn-around response is critical to meet the deadlines for filing. Send responses via e-mail to HarneyBasinRFD@yahoo.com

Responses can also be mailed to Harney Basin RFD, P.O. Box 1018, Burns, OR 97720.

A Web page with current information from the Harney Basin Rural fire District is located at
http://emc.rio.com/HarneyBasinRFD. html

In addition, the HBRFD Committee will be calling residents within both zones to ensure that there is a reasonable expectation of interest and concern regarding the funding and servicing of this rural fire district.