For many years now, the Burns and Hines fire departments have done what they could to respond to fires outside city limits. However, due to financial reasons, that response to rural fires may be about to change.

At the Burns City Council meeting on March 27, Burns Fire Chief Scott Williamson said efforts were made in the past to create and fund rural fire districts, but voters wouldn’t approve a new taxing district. A rural fire subscription is in place, but the number of subscribers hasn’t been enough to cover the costs. Williamson stated that his department has seen costs rise, and it is a problem everywhere, not just locally.

“It’s unprotected land out there, and it’s not the city’s responsibility to provide that protection, especially for free,” Williamson said.

He added that 98 rural residents currently have a contract with the city for fire protection, but the rest of the county is not protected.

Williamson said he met with the county court earlier in the day, and the court agreed that if the fire departments were going to continue to provide fire protection in the rural areas, there has to be a way to fund it.

“My priority is to protect the city of Burns. That’s what I was hired to do,” he said. “We’re going to continue to provide that protection to the people who have a current contract with the city of Burns at this time, homeowners out there in the rural areas.”

Williamson discussed the matter with City Manager (CM) Dauna Wensenk and concluded that the department will probably cut back on its out-of-city response by April 1.

“The funding is not there, and that money needs to be here to help support the service for the city of Burns,” he said.

Williamson added that he has been in contact with the Hines Fire Department, and, “They are on the same page.”

Councilor Charity Robey asked whether the department could charge insurance companies for the costs.

Williamson said the department has done that, and receives probably 10 percent of the cost, if it gets paid at all.

He added that 40 percent of the department’s calls were outside city limits last year. With the rural fire subscription program, the city received $9,800, and $1,300 of that went to administrative fees.

Williamson explained that wages, fuel costs, and maintenance of the trucks cost the city roughly $20,000, leaving the city $10,000 in the hole for that 40 percent of calls.

Mayor Jerry Woodfin asked if a fire call comes in from a rural area, how would dispatch know if they are a subscription participant or not?

Williamson answered that a system can be put in place to allow dispatch to receive that information, but it needs to be updated on a regular basis.

He went on to say that the system is not 100 percent accurate, so there may be times that the department responds to calls even though the residence isn’t covered by the subscription program.

Williamson said the department will continue to respond to all life-threatening situations, including traffic crashes.

However, the department is trying to cut out calls regarding someone burning a ditch or burn pile.

Williamson said that, last year, it cost $4,000 to put new tires on the water tender, and the department is still in dire need of new turnouts and air packs. He also noted that the vehicles are aging.

“I’m just bringing you the information,” Williamson told the council. “It’s totally up to you. You guys can tell me to continue to respond to everything out there if you wish me to. If we’re going to provide service out there, we’re going to need to see a bigger budget.”

Councilor Judy Erwin agreed that there is a problem and stated, “As an elected member of city council, I think our responsibility is to the citizens of Burns, and as hard as it might be, we have to make some difficult calls. Because it’s not going to do us any good to keep responding to those fires and have our fire engine die, and then we can’t respond to anybody’s fire.”

Erwin went on to say that residents who live near Burns or Hines receive lower insurance rates because of the fire departments’ response, and the public needs to be made aware of that.

“It’s going to be difficult, it’s going to be hard, because residents out in the county are used to it, but they don’t pay for it. The citizens of Burns and Hines pay for it,” Erwin said.

Williamson said the city is exploring different fee options, such as having a sliding scale with the fee set by the assessed value of the home or the home’s distance from the city.

The council anticipates having a new fee schedule in place by July 1.

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CM Wensenk reported there were three bidders for the 2019 Street Improvement Project, with all bids coming in below the engineer’s estimate. The engineer was to review the bids and get back to Wensenk.

Wensenk said the cemetery sexton resigned, and the city will advertise for the position with a closing date of April 12.

The proposal by the Oregon Department of Transportation to change from four lanes to three lanes on Highway 20/395 has been set aside for the time being, but there is expected to be more discussion on the proposal.

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In other business:

• the council approved using $1,000 from the economic development fund to advertise for the city manager position;

• Burns resident Pat Brewster suggested that the city purchase a dog trap to help the police department catch the dogs at large. Woodfin said he will discuss the idea with the police chief;

• the council approved a donation of $125 for Diamonds in a Glass, the annual fundraiser for the Kids Club of Harney County;

• Burns resident Merle Reid said the screening committee for a new city manager met March 16. He complimented Councilor Gary Estep for taking the time to visit with business owners and residents to get their input on what they would like to see in the city manager. He also stated that CM Wensenk should be given credit for the job she has done for the city;

• the council appointed Kari Nelson, Richard Day, Nick Planinz, Ella Sparks, Felicia Denarski, Edie Corns, and Bryer Esley to the budget committee;

• the council approved Resolution 19-667, moving funds from the capital projects fund to the Burns Fire Department to purchase a 2009 Dodge Ram pickup to be used as a secondary shift and support vehicle.

The next council meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. Wednesday, April 10, at city hall.