Eastside Fire & Rescue was formed on January 1, 1999 by King County Fire District 10 and the City of Issaquah. In 2000, the cities of North Bend, Sammamish and King County Fire District 38 joined the partnership. Each city and fire district fund emergency services separately and contribute revenue to the partnership. Fire Protection District 10 funds operations through a fire levy that is based on the assessed value of a property and is capped at $1 per $1,000 of assessed property value and a ‘Fire Benefit Charge (FBC).’ The FBC has been approved by voters twice before with the initial approval in 2003.
A fire benefit charge is based on a structure’s size and use. The fire benefit charge takes into consideration that those who benefit more from fire protection services (such as large, high fire-risk structures) should pay more than smaller ones (such as single-family homes). Over the last five years, operating efficiencies and cost savings from the Eastside Fire & Rescue partnership have allowed the rate to be lowered from an average of $0.68 in 2017 to $0.29 per $1,000 of assessed property value in 2021.
The fire benefit charge accounts for 23 percent of emergency services funding and is up for renewal on the August 3, 2021 Primary Election ballot. Fire Protection District 10 continues to work to increase the service level of our agency through the Eastside Fire and Rescue partnership and to return value to the community through that service. We appreciate our communities’ continued support of Fire District 10 and ask for your vote in favor of this measure on the ballot.
Greg Evans, Jake Koehnen, Gloria Hatcher-Mays, www.eastsidefire-rescue.org/154/Fire-District-10
