Purpose Statement: Fire District 3 is trying to prevent a funding shortfall.

What does Fire District 3 do?

Fire District 3  provides fire and life safety services.

Fire District provides services to 40,000 residents over 142 square miles. In 2024, emergency personnel responded to 9,189 calls – 82% were for emergency medical service (EMS).

Fire District 3 maintains a balanced budget, upholds sufficient emergency reserves, and consistently passes all state financial and accountability audits.

How is Fire District 3 funded?

Fire District 3 is primarily funded through property taxes.

The Operations and Maintenance (O&M) Levy, can be set to a maximum of $1.50 per $1,000 of assessed property value, funds daily operations, including emergency personnel, supplies, equipment, training, facilities, and apparatus. The District also has an Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Levy set at $0.50 per $1,000. On average,  87% of the District’s call volume being EMS-related, the EMS Levy alone does not fully cover these operational costs, requiring additional support from the O&M Levy to maintain services.

Important Note: As property values increase, levy rates decrease. For instance, voters approved an O&M Levy rate of $1.50 per $1,000 in 2019, but due to rising property values, the rate has since dropped to $1.11. This phenomenon, known as “levy compression,” restricts Fire District 3’s revenue growth, impacting its ability to meet increasing call volumes and keep pace with rising service costs.

Important Fact: Washington State law caps the growth of property tax revenue to 1% per year plus tax on new construction, even as property values increase significantly. This cap results in a gradual degradation of the effective levy rate over time. For example, in 2025, the levy rate has decreased to $1.11 per $1,000 of assessed property value, far below the original voter-approved rate.

Interesting Fact: Fire District 3 maintains its level of service by sustainable funding, which comes directly from voter-approved property tax levies—not city or county budgets.

What is a Levy Lid Lift?

Periodically, Fire District 3 requests voter approval to reset the O&M Levy to $1.50 per $1,000 of assessed property value—a rate previously approved by voters. This process, called a “levy lid lift,” is essential for keeping up with rising call volumes and the increasing costs of emergency services.

Over the past 15 years, call volumes have surged by 50%. In the last year alone, Fire District 3 responded to 9,189 calls in 2024, 82% of which were EMS-related. To maintain the quality and reliability of emergency services, additional firefighters and paramedics are needed. Additionally, emergency apparatus and facilities must be maintained and replaced to ensure a swift and effective response when emergencies arise.

Fire District 3 will be asking voters for a $0.39  lid lift in August of 2025 to reset the O&M Levy to the previously approved rate of $1.50 per $,1000. Revenue from the lid lift will sustain current operations and maintenance, ensuring the District can continue providing essential services.

You may ask, what will this cost me as a taxpayer?

For instance, if your home is assessed at $300,000, resetting the levy would cost an additional $0.39 per $1,000, or $9.75 per month. This funding directly supports the emergency responders and infrastructure that protect lives and property every day.

You may also ask, what services does this District provide to me as a taxpayer?

At no additional cost to taxpayers, Fire District 3’s firefighters and paramedics are highly trained to provide the following services:

• Emergency Medical Services - To include transportation in our ambulances to hospitals.
• Fire Supression - Response to any structure fires on your property.
• Fire Investigations - Fire investigators determine fire origin and cause to help prevent future incidents.
• Responses to Motor Vehicle Collissions - Even those that include Extrications; Here is a good example: https://tinyurl.com/snpts89h
• Community Paramedic - The Community Paramedic program support those in need of extra support beyond emergency responses. To learn more, visit: https://tinyurl.com/2fujkwwd
• Technical Rescue Services - Here is good example: https://tinyurl.com/4um545d8
• Public Education and Fire Prevention - Here is a good example: https://tinyurl.com/3enet82m
• Fire and Life Safety Education Programs - Thesr programs include  Fire extinguisher training, School Events, Stop the Bleed, Close before you Doze Trainings. To learn more, visit: https://tinyurl.com/3p56zcf3
• Marine Rescues – Did you know that the Fire District 3 has a rescue boat that can be used to rescue citizens? Check out this Press Release to learn more about a recent resue mission: https://tinyurl.com/ud6v2bhd
• Fire Code Technician - Fire District 3 employs a part-time Fire Code Technician who works with the county and the City if Sequim to perform commercial fire code inspections to ensure the commercial properties you enjoy as a citizen are as safe as possible.
• Fire District 3 also responds to a wide range of miscellaneous emergencies. Here are two great example of those: https://tinyurl.com/bdh9ak4u and https://tinyurl.com/y59mcujf
• Emergency Standby for sporting events.
• Hazardous Material Spills.
• Wildland Fire suppression.
• Responses to Burn Complaints to educate citizens.
• Volunteers - Fire District 3 also benefits from the dedication of 52 volunteers who play critical roles in emergency response and community safety. This includes: 30 Firefighters, 16 EMTs, 2 Specialty and 4 Community Risk Reduction Volunteers. 

Additonaly, Fire District 3 offers:

• For a nominal fee of $12, the District offers CPR classes monthly, click here to register: https://www.ccfd3.org/cpr-courses

Fire Chief Justin Grider welcomes your questions at jgrider@ccfd3.org and 360.683.4242 Ext 117.