Benton County Fire District 4

Deputy Chief Carlyle Welcomes Invitations to Speak to Community Groups Benton County Fire District 4 is hosting two public meetings to answer questions about its proposed Fire Levy lid lift. Ballots for the August 4 Primary Election will be mailed on July 17. Meetings are planned for July 16 and July 23 at 6:00 p.m. Participants can call 571-748-4021 and enter the pass code 977-1116. Deputy Chief Paul Carlyle will provide an update about the ballot measure. Participants will have the opportunity to ask questions after his brief presentation. Deputy Chief Carlyle also welcomes opportunities to present about the lid lift to community service organizations and home owner association groups. Interested parties can contact him at (509) 967-2945 or pcarlyle@bcfd4.org to schedule a presentation. “COVID-19 has limited our ability to see community members other than on emergency calls. We miss that personal connection,” said Deputy Chief Carlyle. “I’m learning a lot about vir...

Acting Chief Paul Carlyle with a message about how Benton County Fire District 4's call volumes have been increasing and the levy lid lift on the August ballot. This is the final of three brief videos about Emergency Services from your fire district.

Acting Chief Paul Carlyle with a message about how Benton County Fire District 4 is funded. This is the second of three brief videos about Emergency Services 🚑🚒 from your fire district.

Acting Chief Paul Carlyle with a message of appreciation for the support of Benton County Fire District 4. This is the first of three brief videos about Emergency Services  🚑 🚒  from your fire district.

Benton County Fire District 4 is asking voters to consider a Fire Levy lid lift during the August 4 Primary Election. Funding would be used to hire three additional firefighters to respond to higher call volumes, which have increased almost eight percent a year since 2010. “We need more full-time emergency personnel to respond to higher call volumes,” said Deputy Chief Paul Carlyle. “That’s the nuts and bolts of this request.” The firefighters also would be cross-trained to respond to provide emergency medical service. EMS calls account for more than 60 percent of the Fire District’s call volume. Fire District 4 is a combination department, which means it relies on full-time, part-time and volunteer firefighters to respond to emergency calls. Population growth for the West Richland area has increased to the point where additional full-time emergency personnel are needed. Fire District 4 has been planning for this growth for some time. For example, it’s in the process ...

Check out this Cooking with a Firefighter video to see how one on-duty firefighter cooks meals while being ready to run out the door at a moment's notice. Here is Firefighter/Paramedic Winn using sous vide technique to cook a delicious meal in the fire station...

Lid Lift on August Primary Election Ballot WEST RICHLAND, WASH. — Everyone is tired of hearing about COVID-19, also known as the coronavirus. However, it’s important to know the impacts it has had to staffing for local fire districts. Benton County Fire District 4 is a good example. At one point, half of its full-time emergency personnel were self-quarantining. This resulted in significantly higher overtime costs as firefighters had to work multiple shifts to make sure there was an adequate emergency response. Benton County Fire District 4 has a proud history of responding to calls with volunteer emergency personnel, and the pandemic also has reduced that number. Volunteers are dealing with new work schedules, working from home, and managing kids home from school.   For example, a volunteer paramedic had to cut her normal hours of service to the community. School closures meant she is staying home with her children and providing their home-schooling activities. ...