A deal between Vashon Island Fire & Rescue and the Vashon Park District for contracted fire protection services seems closer than ever following more than a year-long back-and-forth that has delayed an agreement between the two districts.
Washington state law says that any municipal organization within the confines of, or adjacent to, a fire district must contract for fire protection services. But the predecessors of Chief Charlie Krimmert, who took the helm of the fire district in 2017, had not made such interlocal agreements with several districts, including the park district, for years.
That prompted Krimmert to begin the process of contracting with the island’s various boards, but negotiations with the park district stalled after a number was proposed that commissioners believed was unreasonably high.