Mayor’s Message

Prioritizing Public Safety

The recently approved Washington City 2023/2024 fiscal year budget demonstrates that city leadership considers public safety to be a top priority. The budget allocates about 90% of the combined annual property tax and sales tax revenue to the funding of police and fire services.

This continues a strong tradition of prioritizing public safety. Some may recall that for many years, law enforcement was contracted through the Washington County Sheriff. As the city grew, the Washington City Police Department (WCPD) was established and  began to take shape, but not without some growing pains, and often with being asked to do more with less.

It was a challenge to properly equip and house officers, and for many years the WCPD operated out of a converted office building on 95 North Main. In 2016, the city bonded for and built a new state of the art Police Station that now assists the department in serving our community more effectively.

Washington City Fire Department (WCFD) began as a small-town volunteer agency that at one-time operated out of an old block building behind City Hall. Gradually it transitioned to include part-time and full-time firefighters who are professionally trained to meet the fire and EMS demands of the community.

Today, Station 61, on Buena Vista Blvd, responds to most calls on the north side of I-15, and much of the Downtown area. With the Main Street underpass closed during construction, firefighters are  temporarily stationed in a city-owned home near the Post Office in order to respond to the Downtown area until it’s reopened. Station 62, on Washington Dam Road, serves neighborhoods south of the Virgin River. Station 64 serves the Coral Canyon area, and does so in partnership with the Hurricane Valley Fire District, sharing the facility, staffing and apparatus there.

Washington City firefighters are trained as paramedics and EMTs, and they are the first to arrive on 80 to 85% of medical calls, where they initiate life saving measures until ambulance services arrive, assist, and transport if necessary. While there are no ambulances currently stationed in Washington City, Gold Cross stages an ambulance on our border and has the certificate for neighborhoods west of Washington Parkway. The city has contracted with Hurricane Valley Fire District for ambulance service on the east side of Washington Parkway. City officials could consider providing ambulance services in the future if necessary, or if resources become available.

WCFD has come a long way over the last few decades, transitioning from a small town, primarily volunteer fire department, to a highly trained agency, but there’s still progress to be made. In order to preserve the fire department’s quick response times, there is an emerging need to add a station in the south Washington Fields area due to new development, and another in the Sienna Hills area due to new development and high call volume.

City officials are aware of and appreciate the essential role that public safety plays in our city, and remain dedicated to funding and supporting police and fire services as responsible stewards of taxpayer dollars.

-Kress Staheli

Mayor

kress@washingtoncity.org