Local News

Pilot Butte Fire Station Increases Staffing

BEND, OR -- Bend Fire and Rescue celebrates added staffing and a new engine at the Pilot Butte Fire Station, Tuesday morning. Station 306 opened on Northeast 15th Street in 2019. Since then, it has only housed a medic unit. Initially, adding a fire engine and crew was to wait until 2024, when more funding would be available through a levy. "What became apparent was that waiting for revenue from the levy the staff this station was just too far out into the future," says Chief Todd Riley, "We had two groups of elected officials come together and say, ‘Let’s provide funding for these positions ahead of the levy’."

He says hiring new firefighters is possible due to "bridge funding" from the city of Bend and the rural fire protection district. "The funds that the City Council used and appropriated towards these firefighters is not sustainable funding. It was a one-time gift through ARPA dollars. And the General Fund doesn’t support these additional positions, which is why we’re on a levy," He tells KBND News, "Same with the rural district; they reached into their reserves to help us pay for this. So now, to sustain them there into the future, we just need to pass this levy."

Previous Coverage: Bend Fire Launches Survey Ahead of Levy

That levy will be on the ballot this May; Riley says the final rate for the request has not yet been determined. If passed, it won’t take effect until July of 2024, which is when the temporary funding expires. Chief Riley says that money runs out whether voters pass the levy or not, "You’re hiring people with an asterisk, right? You’re like, ‘Wow! I would really like to say this is permanent, but we need to put it in the hands of the voters. Once we turned into a levy fire department back in 2014, that is our reality. There is no other way to say it than, 'jobs are tied to levy revenue.' It’s not comfortable. But, it’s what we had to do to try to at least keep up with the demands for our services." Three firefighters make up an Engine crew and three crews are needed to provide 24/7 staffing, which means the agency needed to hire nine new firefighters. Riley says they recently graduated academy and are now ready to be assigned throughout the city.  

Bend Fire & Rescue host a "push-In" ceremony today at 10 a.m. at the Pilot Butte fire station for the new engine, which is the agency's first since 2000.

Photo of Station 306 courtesy of the city of Bend

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