South King Fire and Rescue presented the board of fire commissioners a $45.3 million bond proposal at a special meeting on Tuesday.

If approved by the board and later passed by voters, the bond will fund the replacement of 27 vehicles and one boat. It would upgrade all of the eight fire stations and build a new one in the south end of Federal Way.

The bond would also upgrade the agency’s training campus and allow them to build a new vehicle maintenance fleet division, replace equipment, upgrade the information systems and provide just enough to pay off existing debt.

“We need to do something to re-infuse our capital to set us up for the next 20 years,” said Fire Chief Allen Church at the meeting.

Citizens have not approved a South King Fire and Rescue bond since the early 1990s, according to a copy of the proposed bond.

Throughout the years, the fire department transferred operating revenues from the general fund into a capital reserve account to fund capital equipment, apparatus and facility needs.

But, according to firefighter officials, the Great Recession caused their capital reserve system “to be used only as absolutely necessary” and they experienced a 30 percent annual reduction in property tax revenue.

The proposed 20-year bond, as it currently stands, would cost taxpayers 26 cents per $1,000 of assessed valuation or $65 a year, $5.42 a month, for a house costing $250,000.

Assistant Chief Ed Plumlee said South King Fire and Rescue, which serves Federal Way residents, parts of unincorporated King County and Des Moines, responded to 15,567 alarm calls in 2009, 16,408 times in 2013 and he anticipates a much higher number come 2020.

“We’re getting busier,” he said, adding that there are many housing developments planned for Federal Way in the near future.

According to Plumlee, three apartment complexes, two senior living centers, one town home complex, a school and two businesses are in the works.

He estimates Federal Way will have 1,330 additional multi-family units in the coming years.

Because of this growth, responses are likely to increase as the population in Federal Way increases.

But preparing for the future isn’t cheap.

The replacement of five engine trucks will cost $3.2 million, one ladder truck will cost $1.2 million, five aid car replacements will cost $1.18 million, the Marine 67 fire boat will cost $750,000, the Hazardous Materials Unit Tow Vehicle will be about $40,000 and the battalion chief’s command vehicle will cost $52,500.

Staff vehicle replacements will cost $600,000 as the department needs four new administrative vehicles, four prevention vehicles, three training/fleet vehicles and three motor pool vehicles.

“These are engines that cannot be second class,” Plumlee said, citing an example of a failed Seattle Fire Department engine.

Church said this would only replace a little more than a quarter of their fleet and certainly does not constitute as a full vehicle restoration.

South King Fire and Rescue currently has 54 fleet vehicles, including emergency response vehicles, a fire boat, staff vehicles, special operations apparatus and equipment trailers.

“The fleet division is keeping up but an undersized shop and aging fleet makes it difficult,” said Plumlee, adding there’s a value in having the fleet on-site.

The proposed bond suggested the department’s vehicle maintenance facility be attached and rebuilt with the new station, however, commissioners discussed moving it to property near Station 64. The current bond proposal price tag doesn’t reflect this wish, nor does it reflect the commissioners’ desire to look into whether solar paneling on the new station and Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification would be viable options.

What the bond does cover is $26 million in station renovation, upgrades and the construction of Station 60.

Stations 61, 64, 65 and the new facilities need new generators, all of the stations need “immediate” occupancy improvements, as well as decontamination and bunker gear storage facilities.

New roofing is required at stations 62, 63, 64 and 67, while fencing, security measures, maintenance and operational improvements for mechanical and electrical systems and fueling station upgrades are proposed for all of the stations too.

The stations were built between 1964 and 1987, with the majority built in the 60s and 70s.

Church said there will be between eight and 10 public meetings throughout the fire district to educate the public on the age of their facilities and apparatus as well as allow public input and comment on the bond.

A tentative schedule for these meetings is set for October but is subject to change.

For the bond measure to be on the February special election ballot — South King Fire and Rescue’s initial goal — the board of commissioners has until November to approve the bond so that it can be sent to King County no later than Dec. 26.

For more information, visit www.southkingfire.org.