The Southwest Washington Central Labor Council is proud to endorse the Camas-Washougal Fire Department's Proposition to form a Regional Fire Authority or RFA, and we urge you to help get out the vote on April 9th and April 10th.

Currently, the Camas-Washougal fire department operates under an interlocal agreement (or ILA) between Camas and Washougal. As part of this arrangement, the City of Camas manages the fire department, and its costs are covered by the Camas general fund. The revenue collected from both Washougal and Camas residents, which is meant to support fire services, is all deposited into the same general fund. 

The current Interlocal Agreement (ILA) is set to expire in 2026, and neither Camas nor Washougal intends to reach a new agreement. As a result, the fire department would be divided along city boundaries. This split would force Washougal to find an alternative provider, while Camas would have to scale back its operations due to the reduced service area. Both cities would face challenges in terms of service quality and increased costs.

Under the current model, taxes are gathered for EMS and Fire services - but not all of those funds actually go toward the Fire/EMS budget. Under an RFA every dollar will be used for the fire department. The RFA funding model will allow for increased staffing on fire engines, and the RFA funding model accounts for fire engine and ambulance replacements without the need for additional bonds.

Please vote YES on Proposition 1 by April 22nd, and help IAFF 2444 get out the vote on April 9th and 10th.