North Whatcom Fire and Rescue (NWFR) lieutenant Adam Smith was sleeping in Birch Bay Station 63, resting from a demanding job, when a ceiling tile fell on him due to a waterlogged roof.
Smith wasn’t injured, but it was just another event highlighting structural and safety concerns at the aging fire station. Since then, repairs have kept the station operating, including buckets scattered around the floor of the station to capture rainwater.
“I think the best way to think about Station 63 is that it’s kind of like an old shoe. It’s a little bit too small. There’s a lot of holes that have been patched up,” said Liz Bronder, a firefighter who works and lives at Station 63. “I think last time I checked, we had five different leaks in the roof that are just leaking into buckets on the ground.”
NWFR chief Jason Van der Veen said the station needs to be replaced as the list of problems grows. The training tower has visible cracks, which firefighters are unable to use due to structural concerns. During a routine inspection, an engineer told NWFR that the training tower would not withstand a large earthquake, and while a seismic survey of the entire station has not been done, Van der Veen said he believes the station would not stand.
The building layout is also outdated, Van der Veen said. The building is not up to current ADA standards, female firefighters also don’t have their own bathroom for showering or changing, and there is no community gathering space for events like CPR classes.
As operating costs continue to rise, Van der Veen said he sees the price of maintaining the aging station as a misuse of public funds. NWFR budgeted $561,000 on facility maintenance throughout the district in 2024, and spent twice what it expected in 2023 for building maintenance within the district, causing NWFR to pull back in other areas. Van der Veen did not immediately have the percentage of those funds used in Birch Bay.
NWFR is asking voters to consider a levy lid lift in the August 6 primary election that would, in part, provide kick-starter funds for replacing the station, in addition to funding other district priorities, such as staffing and new vehicles.
Under the current levy lid lift proposal, the owner of a $500,000 home would pay $14.16 more per month, or $170 annually, according to NWFR. Ballots are mailed to residents starting July 17, with ballots due by 8 p.m. August 6.
If the levy passes, NWFR will then consider a commissioner indebtedness bond, which would mean the commissioners would take a loan on behalf of the district. The loan would be paid from the general operating fund, which would increase if the levy passes.
“It’s like an internal bond,” Van der Veen said.
Initial estimates show the Birch Bay station replacement could cost up to $15 million, though Van der Veen said he was working to lower that number. NWFR would budget about $1 million annually for the replacement.
If the levy doesn’t pass, Van der Veen said it would impact the Birch Bay station replacement. The fire district would consider relocating crews from Station 63, which could impact response times in Birch Bay, or would consider going out for a bond, which would delay the building replacement.
Station 63, which is the district’s busiest station, has received minimal upgrades since it was built in 1981, according to the NWFR 2020 Master Plan. The building’s general condition was considered fair at the time, and recommended for a major upgrade or remodel, according to the report.
Van der Veen described Station 63 as being in the worst condition of any of the district’s stations.
Station 63 is one of four stations within NWFR, officially known as Whatcom County Fire Protection District 21. NWFR serves roughly 33,800 people over 156 square miles across Blaine, Birch Bay, Semiahmoo, Custer, Laurel and areas surrounding Lynden.
Van der Veen said NWFR has a staff of 50 career firefighters/EMTs who respond to both fire and medical calls. Last year, the Birch Bay station responded to 1,722 calls, of which 1,469 were medical and 412 calls were engine responses, he said.
One of Van der Veen’s concerns with the station is that vehicles blow exhaust into the apparatus bay, where the vehicles and gym equipment are stored. To mitigate the exhaust, NWFR installed a point-capture system that collects exhaust as vehicles start and blows it out through the roof. However, Van der Veen said the exhaust that seeped into the station walls before the system was installed cannot escape and no exhaust capture system is 100 percent effective. Sleeping quarters are also on the other side of the walls.
“They breathe in all the diesel or gas particulates that stick to the walls and ceiling,” Van der Veen said.
Regarding the station’s sleeping quarters, Bronder said it’s like sleeping at summer camp.
“We all sleep in one room together, separated by curtains. We have one firefighter bathroom that was designed to be used as a communal locker room-style bathroom, but now, with a variety of different people who work at the station, it has been converted to just a single-use bathroom.”
Other concerns Bronder mentioned include having gym equipment in the apparatus bay where exhaust is blown, garage doors malfunctioning and frequent leaks from the roof.
Bronder said she feels the fire chief and district leadership prioritize safety concerns, however; lack of funding has prevented them from addressing a lot of them promptly.
“The levy is basically going to give us the tools that we need to continue to provide the community with the service that they deserve,” she said.
Despite these concerns, Bronder said she enjoys working at Station 63 with its variety of calls, fast pace and good co-workers.
“We still come to work and do our jobs and serve the community to the best of our ability, but we know that we could provide better care for people and better response times if we had the money to improve things,” Bronder said.
Fire commissioner chair Bruce Ansell said he thinks that firefighters have a work ethic where they make do with what they have.
“We’re making it work because everyone in our department believes in the mission to help the community, but we need their help now,” he said.
Ansell said that Station 63 is safe for daily operations; however, due to the age of the station, it doesn’t have the latest seismic improvements that newer buildings would have.
“God forbid, if we get a reasonable-sized earthquake, that station is going to fall down, and it’s supposed to be the public safety pillar of the community,” he said. “Don’t go to the fire station if there’s an earthquake. It might not be there.”
Ansell said budget constraints aren’t limited to NWFR, but to departments across the state.
“We’re approaching that point where bad things are going to start happening, and then someone’s going to say, ‘Well, why didn’t we do something about that?’” he said.
To learn more about the levy lid lift, contact NWFR chief Jason Van der Veen at 360/318-9933, email jvanderveen@nwfrs.com or attend one of several upcoming community meetings. Information on the meetings is available at bit.ly/3LqRaIX.
Grace McCarthy contributed to the reporting of this article.
This article was updated July 17 to correct that Birch Bay Station 63 responded to 1,722 calls in 2023. We regret the error.
Comments
No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here