The fire department’s facilities and fleet of vehicles are at an advanced age and not serving the district as well they should, creating limitations that will need to be addressed in the weeks and months ahead.

Vashon Island Fire &Rescue Chief Charlie Krimmert delivered that message in a presentation last week as part of a series of presentations about the state of the fire district. The series is intended to clarify the district’s needs and lay necessary groundwork for a possible vote on the district’s tax levy this fall. At the regular meeting of the fire board of commissioners last month, Krimmert made clear the district is extremely understaffed, even to handle a house fire or a small cluster of medical emergencies. Similarly, the age of the district’s buildings also presents challenges for the district, in part because it has not kept up with changing industry standards.

“It is becoming more and more difficult to comply with industry norms,” Krimmert told the commissioners and members of the public in attendance last Tuesday.

In all, the fire district owns nine buildings — five stations and four other buildings, such as the maintenance shop and the training facility on Bank Road. Combined, the average age of the district’s buildings is nearly 50. Station 55, the main fire station, is among the youngest of the district’s buildings at 25 years old, while most of the outlying fire stations — located in Burton, Dockton and the north and south ends — are 60 years old or more.

The age of the facilities creates a variety of concerns for the fire district, Krimmert and Assistant Chief Bob Larsen said, both at the meeting and in follow-up conversations.

Krimmert noted that the stations at the north and south ends of the island no longer dispatch calls, but those stations, along with the Burton station, do not have exhaust-extraction systems. Such systems are important for the health of the crews who work inside the buildings, and Krimmert said he believes such systems are essential. Additionally, at many of the smaller stations, it is impossible to pull a fire truck in without obstructing traffic and creating a potential safety hazard.

Moreover, some of the fire stations are too small to hold current fire vehicles. In fact, he said, the engine housed at the Burton station had to be built 18 inches shorter than the standard size to fit.

Seismic concerns are also an issue. Four of the five fire stations do not comply with current seismic requirements, he said, and an engineer’s evaluation of the Burton station indicated it would not withstand a significant seismic event.

Overall, Krimmert said the stations do not function well for their intended purpose.

“They are good garages, but they are not good fire houses,” he added.

Also problematic is that the bulk of the district’s calls come along a corridor from Vashon Community Care to Burton, meaning that some of the stations are poorly placed in relation to the response areas and the districts’ volunteers, who work predominantly out of Station 55. It is the only station that has living quarters, although a home the district purchased in 2012 next to the Burton fire station, has four beds for volunteer responders. Now, however, it is not used frequently.

Because of the age of the buildings and years of maintenance deferred because of financial constraints, Krimmert cautioned that repair and maintenance needs will increase going forward. Larsen, who was the district’s facilities manager for many years before becoming the assistant chief, underlined the severity of the situation. Among the maintenance priorities he sees are seismic upgrades, a new roof at the Burton station and repaving the parking lots at the stations in Burton, Dockton and Vashon town.

“We’re going to be mowing them soon,” he said, noting they all have grass growing up through multiple cracks.

Moreover, at the current rate maintenance is being deferred, he said that soon finances would only allow for catastrophic repairs.

Krimmert made clear the district is not prepared to meet its long-term building needs because it does not have funds in a capital reserve.

“We should regularly be setting aside hundreds of thousands of dollars,” he added.

A review of the district’s fleet of vehicles — 23 apparatus, including engines, water tenders, brush trucks and aid cars (ambulances), among others, reveals a similar theme.

The National Fire Protection Association, which sets standards for the fire fighting industry, recommends that engines over 15 years old not be used as primary vehicles. It also recommends that fire engines older than 25 years and ambulances over 10 years be retired, Krimmert said.

“As a rural district, we will push those limits, but we are concerned we are getting a particularly old fleet,” he added.

The district owns five fire engines, three of which are active. Two of them are 17 years old and one is 25 years old; that engine is at the end of its useful life, he noted.

Additionally, the district relies on four aid cars, which respond to nearly all of the district’s calls: medical emergencies, fires and vehicle crashes. The newest of the aid cars is 5 years old with over 100,000 miles on it, Larsen said. He noted he and Krimmert have considered going down to three aid cars, but three times in the last month, all four aid cars have been on the road at the same time, calling into question such a move.

As with capital expenses, the district did not have an account designated for vehicle replacement when Krimmert stepped into the chief’s position in January. The district has recently opened one, starting with $500 and adding $136,000 just recently. Additionally, a vehicle retirement and replacement schedule is in the works for planning purposes.

“We do not want to have one year when we have to replace seven trucks, ” Krimmert said, adding, “We have a lot of work ahead of us to replace the fleet.”

Regarding the district as a whole, Krimmert will continue his presentations at the commissioners’ meetings. On May 23, he will speak about the work of the district, including the number of calls it responds to. On June 13, he will provide an overview, recapping his recent reports and providing priorities for how the district might move forward. In July, the commissioners will make a decision regarding the tax levy. If the district puts a measure on the ballot in November to raise taxes, it must file to do so in August. Meetings are held at 6:30 p.m. the second and last Tuesday of every month; they are always open to the public.