Eugene Springfield firefighters ask for a fire district

Presenter: Eugene Springfield firefighters make the case for their own taxing district. At the Springfield City Council Sept. 2, Daniel Allred:

Daniel Allred (IAFF Local 851, vice president): My name is Daniel Allred. I’m the vice president of the International Association of Firefighters Local 851. I’m a proud graduate of Springfield High School, Class of ‘95. After high school, I joined the U.S. Army and I took an oath there to defend the Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic.

[00:00:22] I later took another oath with Eugene Springfield Fire Department to protect the citizens of Eugene and Springfield. I take that oath seriously. It guides every decision I make, but it’s getting harder and harder to uphold that oath every year.

[00:00:33] When I look on this room tonight, I see leaders. I see leaders who care about this great city. I see leaders who’ve learned to make decisions in tough times.

[00:00:40] Among me are my fellow firefighters here. We are all public servants at our core. We are here tonight because our system is broken, and it puts our community at risk.

[00:00:50] When I started my career at Eugene Springfield Fire, the job looked very different. We would run between three to 10 calls on a shift. We had time to go out and study buildings, fire protection systems, and preplans, so that way when the time came, we could act faster.

[00:01:02] Now many of our engines and ambulances run twice as many calls daily. Sometimes I’m left with impossible decisions, by choosing whether to pull the paramedic off the fire engine to upstaff a basic life-support ambulance into an advanced life-support ambulance. That leaves the community that that engine would normally be protecting at risk while going to the hospital. That is not acceptable.

[00:01:21] Let me be clear: Response times are increasing. Fires double in size every minute that they’re left unchecked. We often have less than 10 minutes to perform our firefighting safety or function before it is unsafe to do so. We have even less time to save someone trapped. This is life and death.

[00:01:37] In Springfield in 2002, you had one firefighter every 3,625 residents. Currently, you have one firefighter for every 4,199. Springfield continues to grow and the fire department has been growing along with the community there.

[00:01:53] And now in FY26, we’re talking about brownouts. But let’s be clear, that means a fire station is closed for the day. That is unacceptable for that community there as well. I’m not here to point fingers. I’m here to offer solutions and a fire district is a great solution.

[00:02:05] We need your help. We need your leadership. We need a fire district.

[00:02:09] Presenter: Garrett Corbari:

[00:02:10] Garrett Corbari (IAFF Local 851): My name is Garrett Corbari. I stand before you (or sit before you, rather) tonight representing the men and women of Eugene Springfield Fire Local 851.

[00:02:20] It is my sincere hope that most of you on this council recognize and understand the acute challenges we face here in Lane County from increased pressure of wildland fires breaching our city limits to the rapid development of high-rise buildings to accommodate our housing shortage, or, let’s not forget, the unhoused population often fighting the scourge of addiction.

[00:02:46] All of these challenges are difficult to manage on a good day. But I’m here today to share with you we don’t see many good days and it has been this way for years. We are restrained by organizational paralysis—two councils, two budgets which are continually underresourced, and too many opinions on how to run a comprehensive fire department.

[00:03:11] I do not ask for permission but rather demand a real solution of long-lasting change so we can ensure firefighting and emergency medical services remain accessible and equitable for the people of Eugene and Springfield.

[00:03:26] The time is now to trust this union body in supporting the formation of a fire district. The data supports it. It’s been proven to be a successful model elsewhere. So we’re not breaking new ground here. We’re asking for the capability to serve your constituents so they can feel safe in their homes.

[00:03:44] Our paramedics, our EMTs, and firefighters are incredibly dedicated to ensuring the safety and well-being of this population. We are asking you to trust us, and to hold true to your sworn word as a council, and to complete the merge we started in 2010 so we can serve the citizens of this fine county.

[00:04:02] Presenter: Brett Deedon:

[00:04:04] Brett Deedon (IAFF Local 851): My name is Brett Deedon and I’m proud to serve as president of Local 851 and of the International Association of Firefighters, representing over 350 firefighters and EMS personnel across Lane County.

[00:04:15] Earlier this summer, a fence fire broke out, normally an incident quickly handled by a nearby engine. But the fire didn’t see water for 11 minutes. In that time, it spread from a fence to a tree to a shed and then to a house, threatening nearby structures.

[00:04:31] Why? Because the Thurston engine was shut down to staff an ambulance—the system was out of medic units. The engine that finally arrived, Engine 14, is the same one slated to be browned out later this fiscal year, despite being first in to three second-alarm fires this summer alone, including three civilian rescues.

[00:04:50] I’ve had the opportunity to sit down with some of you to discuss these risks. We may not all agree on the endgame, but we must agree that inaction has consequences.

[00:04:59] For nearly 30 years, study after study has pointed to the same solution: the creation of a fire district for Springfield and Eugene. This is not untested. It’s a proven model across Oregon. A district provides stable, dedicated funding, clear accountability through a local elected board, operational efficiency, removing duplication, boosting effectiveness, and long-term strategic planning.

[00:05:23] We were supposed to go through three phases in this merger. Phase one, operational blending, success. Phase two, functional merger. We started off with that, successful so far. But we never moved on to phase three. Phase three was one department, a unified department.

[00:05:39] What looks like one department to its residents today behind the scenes is a fractured system and increasingly a dangerous one. We don’t need more examples of community being at risk because of political inaction. Help move Springfield forward, help move ESF forward, help move our public safety forward, support a fire district.

[00:05:57] Presenter: Three firefighters step forward to say it’s time—it’s time to finish the merger, by creating a unified and self-governed fire district.

Image courtesy IAFF Local 851 and Springfield City Councilor Kori Rodley (Ward 3).