CWWCFD2 Commissioners monthly update

WAITSBURG—The Columbia/Walla Walla County Fire District 2 (CWWCFD2) Commissioners met Wednesday, November 4 via Zoom call. During the meeting, the commissioners discussed renewing the Emergency Medical First Response Agreement with Columbia County Fire District 3 and heard from Chief Moynihan on station updates.

The board of commissioners and Chief Moynihan were joined by Columbia County Emergency Management Director Ashley Strickland while they reviewed the Emergency Medical First Response Agreement with Columbia County Fire District 3. The current contract ends December 31, 2020. Commissioner Fortner noted the board needs to keep budgets in mind for a timely decision.

Discussion around the contract lasted for nearly an hour. The board of commissioners ultimately decided to renew the contract, with a six-month review of response time, dispatch times, and volunteer EMT numbers. The current contract states that a six-month notice is required for contract termination.

District 2 had three volunteers step up since the previous meeting. The volunteers have applied and waiting for acceptance to the EMT program at Walla Walla Community College. At the time of this meeting, none of the volunteers requested monetary sponsorship, however, Moynihan noted that he had discussed potential financial aid with Fortner.

Chief Moynihan reported exploring options for identification cards for members of the fire department. Strickland informed Moynihan that there is an office in Walla Walla that can provide the department with cards and help them with their credential organization. Strickland said he would email the contact information to the chief.

Columbia/Walla Walla County Fire District 2 has a new website, but the old website is still up and running because of web domain ownership and contracts. Commissioner Fortner said that the old domain is up for renewal soon and would be $20/year to renew. She said that the new web address is easy to find on a Google search, and original web address has been connected to the current address. She was unsure what would happen if the department opted not to renew the original domain.

"Since we are all ancient here and know nothing about this," Commissioner Charles joked, "I propose we just rip the bandaid off and kill it."

The motion was quickly seconded and met with a good laugh. The current website address is http://www.cwwfd2.org.

Chief Michael Moynihan reported that there were some mechanical issues discovered during draft testing on two of the district's engines. He noted that both engines 'passed; the testing, but there was one engine that needed work on a primer, and the other engine needed vacuum work. He reported that the station had received the reports a day prior to the meeting.

The meeting was adjourned after brief budget conversation, and a brief update of fire station happenings.