Fire district planning updates

Following Point Roberts voters’ landslide approval of the fire district’s capital facilities plan, the district is getting ready to spend some money. Fire chief Christopher Carleton told commissioners at their regular monthly meeting on January 10 that he hoped to have prepared a Request for Bid (RFP) by the end of the month for a Welcome Home vehicle.

The Welcome Home vehicle would be used to transport patients back to the Point following medical procedures undergone in the rest of Whatcom County. As reported in last month’s issue, fire commissioners in December approved two resolutions that will make things financially easier for residents who undergo medical emergencies and require land transport for care.

The district no longer charges for ambulance transport to St. Joseph PeaceHeath Medical Center in Bellingham. This applies only to transport by Point Roberts fire district personnel. Evacuation by helicopter or transfer to another agency between the Point and Bellingham could still incur charges but patients will be told upfront.

The district is also introducing the Welcome Home transport program. Patients returning to the Point but have no transportation will be able to call on the fire district for a ride home. According to fire chief Christopher Carleton, it is not unusual for individuals to refuse to go to the hospital because they won’t have a ride home.

“I can’t tell you the number of times people have refused to go because they have no way of getting home. There have been hundreds over the 12 years I’ve been on the district,” he said. 

Carleton said a big benefit of the new program would be to get people the care they need when they need it, not when it’s too late or has led to serious but avoidable consequences.

The fire chief said the district would like to acquire an all-wheel van such as a Toyota hybrid that would allow transport in all weather conditions. Drivers would be paid a stipend for each trip. Carleton said he hopes the vehicle will be on the road by the end of June. Until that happens, the Welcome Home program will not be operating.

Carleton also plans on going out for bids on a pole building that would be constructed to the west of the health clinic. The building would have up to three bays and would house the fire engines while the primary ambulance and engine would go into the existing building.

The new building would have heat and electricity but no water service and would have no washrooms or living quarters. Carleton hopes to issue and RFP sometime in the first quarter and be able to provide pricing and other information to the commissioners for their approval. “We’re probably looking at a pre-fab metal building,” he told commissioners.

In other district news, commissioners increased the chief’s salary to $79,000 annually retroactive to January 1, 2024. Last year the chief was paid $69,000 until it was increased to $72,000 in November. The position is full-time and includes vacation and sick pay.

Six new members, including a registered nurse, have been hired by the district to fill vacant positions. The district now has a total of 47 members.