SPOKANE VALLEY, Wash. — Spokane Valley voters approved a levy Tuesday night that will give the city's fire department $25 million over the next four years. The department will now have the funding to add more firefighters, trucks and equipment.
The Spokane Valley Fire Department relies on levies every four years to fund their resources. This year, however, the levy was especially important.
Spokane Valley fire crews responded to more than 23,000 calls in 2022, more incidents than ever before.
"Everyday seems to be even more busier for us," said Shawn Pichette, the fire union president of Spokane Valley.
Pichette's been a strong advocate to invest in more resources.
"A lot of sign waving and getting our message out there, as well on street corners early in the morning," he said.
Last year, the department was way over budget on fuel alone.
"Our budget for fuel alone went up by over 64%," said Frank Soto, Spokane Valley Fire Chief. "So, I mean, I think sometimes we forget as a fire department to share that information with the public."
The levy passed with a 67% vote. It will provide $25 million in new funds to the department.
"Now we can get more fire trucks on the streets. We can get more firefighters, firefighter-paramedics on the streets, and so it's only going to help what we're already doing," Soto said.
This season's fire academy has 15 new recruits to keep up with the increase in calls.
"Now the amounts on what we needed within the levy," Soto said. "We did change that in order to build up and add more positions within the fire department because the need was huge."
The funding from the levy will kick off next year. It will help fund the Spokane Valley Fire Department until 2028.
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