The South King Fire and Rescue board of fire commissioners unanimously voted to place the Firefighter Safety and Emergency Response bond on the April 28 ballot at their last meeting.

If passed by voters, the $53 million bond would replace technical equipment, facilities and vehicles, as well as fund an additional fire station and a new fleet maintenance shop.

South King Fire Assistant Chief Ed Plumlee said the board’s reasons for the unanimous decision to put the bond on the ballot was consistent with the feedback they received from the community during town hall meetings — the fire district is in great need of the bond.

Board Chair Bill Gates was unavailable for comment.

“Our citizens seemed to understand the need to purchase new emergency response apparatus and cardiac equipment,” Plumlee wrote in an email. “… The only consistent question raised by citizens was the timing of the ballot and getting the message out to voters.”

South King Fire first introduced the need for a bond in September 2014 for $45 million. Their initial goal was to have the bond on the February special election ballot, but instead revisited the dollar amount changing the bond to $53 million.

After three town hall meetings to gauge community input in February, the fire commissioners approved the bond for the April special election on Feb. 24.

The proposed 20-year general obligation bond, as it currently stands, would cost taxpayers, who own a house costing $250,000, $6.50 a month or $78 a year.

But the bond measure will be on the same ballot as King County’s levy lid lift proposal. That proposal would allow the county to tax citizens an additional $.07 per $1,000 of assessed valuation, if approved by voters. The funds would help the county replace the Puget Sound’s emergency radio network.

“Voters evaluate ballot issues each time they vote so from that perspective this is like any other election,” Plumlee wrote. “South King Fire and Rescue commissioners voted unanimously to place the Firefighter Safety and Emergency Response bond measure on the April 28 ballot with full knowledge that King County’s lid lift might be on the same ballot.”

Although Plumlee said many in the fire district agree the emergency radio system needs to be upgraded, there’s concerns a levy lid lift might reduce revenue for the fire district due to pro-rationing.

However, there’s currently an interlocal agreement in place with the fire district that puts protective measures in place of up to $1 million total for districts affected by pro-rationing.

“The bottom line is the fire district commissioners weren’t included early enough to make any sort of persuasive input to change this to a different funding mechanism,” Plumlee said, noting the levy lid lift needs to only be approved by 50 percent.

South King Fire’s bond will need to pass by 60 percent.

The department has not run a general obligation bond issue in Federal Way to upgrade equipment, vehicles and stations since 1992, Plumlee said.

“Our needs are real, necessary and in some cases overdue,” he said. “Every penny will go directly towards equipment, facilities and apparatus, ensuring we can respond to the emergent needs of our community for many years to come.”

The bond is designed to sustain the department’s needs for the next 20 years, but if voters don’t pass it, Plumlee said the board of fire commissioners would need to make some “very difficult decisions.”

“What those decisions would look like is too early to tell,” he said.

The fire district serves Federal Way, Des Moines and parts of unincorporated King County, all cities that are expected to increase in population and, therefore, service need in the near future.

In just four years, calls for service have increased by 14 percent with 15,500 emergency calls in 2010 to 17,695 in 2014, according to fire officials.

For more information on the bond, visit www.southkingfire.org.