By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter
Riverside Fire Authority Chief Mike Kytta notified dispatchers and neighboring fire departments this morning he essentially closed the Harrison Avenue fire station for the day, because he’s short staffed.
One firefighter is on vacation and another called in sick, Kytta said.
Kytta said he doesn’t have money in his budget to pay overtime to bring in someone on their day off.
Three firefighters will be on duty at the Pearl Street station during the 24-hour period that ends tomorrow at 8 a.m., according to Kytta. They will respond to district calls, he said.
The Harrison Avenue station had its usual administrative personnel on duty, during regular business hours.
“It happened once earlier this year,” Kytta said. “Unfortunately we’re down enough staff right now, here it is. Here’s the reality of it.”
The chief expected to have volunteers at the station overnight.
Riverside Fire Authority, which protects a population of 28,000 spanning more than 180 square miles in and around Centralia, is working this year with a budget of $3.9 million, compared to last year’s of $4.6 million.
The primary reason for the reduction is related to the fairly sudden change in taxes contributed by TransAlta’s power plant, as it winds down coal burning operations.
If their predictions about next year’s budget are realized, they will lose another $600,000 in revenue, Kytta said this morning.
The department is scheduled to lay off two more firefighters in July, making a total of six positions lost since the beginning of the year. Today, they have 23 paid firefighters.