Local fire district looking to add more firefighters

ROGUE RIVER, Ore. — A local fire district is asking for some extra manpower to meet the growing demands of fire season.

Fire Chief Travis Crume says they don’t have enough staff right now… with only two full-time firefighters and the rest, students.

That’s why they’re asking the public to fund three full-time firefighters to join their team.

For property owners, the tax is an extra 97 cents per thousand dollars of assessed value. That’s nearly 200 a year for a home valued at 200 thousand.

With fire season coming up, Chief Crume says the levy would bring full coverage, 24/7, for the area.

“We believe that there’s a perception in the public that you pick up the phone and call 911 that you’re going to get a high level of service. And we felt like we needed the public to make that determination of what level of service that is,” said Chief Crume.

Chief Crume says in the last year they received a record number of calls.

If adopted, the levy would go into effect July 1, 2019 and last for five years.