Regional Fire Authority

Learn more about the Camas-Washougal Fire Department.

The Camas-Washougal Fire Department provides fire, fire suppression, technical rescue, emergency medical services and ambulance transport to approximately 50,000 people over 20 square miles. Emergency personnel currently respond to over 5,500 calls per year. In 1935, Camas started providing ambulance service to Washougal. The cities began a trial consolidation of the two fire departments in 2011, then agreed to a temporary partnership in 2014 governed by an interlocal agreement. In the agreement, Camas maintains the fire department and Washougal contracts with Camas for emergency services. Both cities have taken steps to make the partnership permanent by asking voters to consider forming a regional fire authority.

There are challenges under the existing agreement.

The current structure requires both city councils to agree on operational and funding decisions. While both cities are aligned on the importance of public safety, an RFA creates a separate, independent entity that empowers fire leadership to make timely, expert decisions. The RFA is still accountable to the public through its own, unified governing board. 

The RFA is fairer and more cost-effective for taxpayers.

Camas and Washougal are asking voters to consider forming a regional fire authority (RFA) during the November 4, 2025, General Election. An RFA is an independent agency to provide fire/EMS with one governing board representing residents in both cities collectively. Property owners would pay the RFA directly for services eliminating the cities as the intermediary. Most importantly, property owners in both cities would pay the same rate for service of $1.05 per $1,000. This equal investment brings fairness to the taxes we all pay for fire service and means there can be collaborative, long-term emergency services planning for both communities as they grow. Long term stability in the RFA ensures that future investments (such as stations, apparatus and equipment) are more cost-efficient. Additionally, an RFA is directly accountable to its taxpayers and is governed by locally-elected representatives.  

The RFA brings local fire and EMS up to minimum industry and state standards.

The proposed Regional Fire Authority (RFA) is designed to bring local fire and emergency services up to minimum industry standards. Right now, our system is operating below those standards and cannot consistently meet the demands of growing call volumes, complex emergencies, and community needs. Without the RFA, current service gaps will continue.

For example, the RFA would staff engine companies with three firefighters instead of two. This change is not a bonus — it’s a basic safety standard per Washington state regulations that allows crews to immediately begin rescue operations, such as entering a burning building to save a life, rather than waiting for additional units to arrive.

The RFA also ensures appropriate personnel are available for a range of emergencies — including wildfires, vehicle accidents, hazardous materials incidents, technical rescues, medical calls with multiple patients, and school-related emergencies.

In addition to meeting operational standards, the RFA offers structural efficiencies: shared funding allows for planning and purchasing of essential equipment and emergency vehicles for the long term. It also eliminates ambulance co-pays for residents and may improve the community’s risk rating — which could help reduce homeowner insurance premiums.

The RFA is not about enhancements — it’s about establishing the level of service that should already be in place to protect the people who live and work here.

Here are the numbers.

The RFA would fund emergency services for all property owners at $1.05 per $1,000 of assessed property value.

Washougal (revised as of August 2025)– The City of Washougal estimates a property tax levy of $1.51 per $1,000 of a home's assessed value, which funds essential services such as fire, police, streets, and parks & recreation. To offset the loss of the Department, the City of Washougal plans to reduce its existing property tax levy by an estimated $0.88 per $1,000 of a home’s assessed value. This results in a net increase of only $0.17 per $1,000 for Washougal homeowners. For a Washougal home valued at $583,000*, this equates to an estimated annual tax increase of $99.11 a year or $8.26 per month for fire service in 2027. The estimated $0.88 rate reduction in 2027 includes the expiration of Washougal’s 6-year Fire/EMS levy lid lift after 2026. If the RFA passes, Washougal will not need to renew this lid lift, which was last renewed starting in 2020 at a rate of $0.10. 

Camas (revised as of August 2025)–The City of Camas estimates a property tax levy of $1.90 per $1,000 of a home's assessed value, which funds essential services such as fire, police, streets, parks & recreation, and the library. To offset the absence of the Fire Department, the City of Camas plans to reduce its existing property tax levy by $0.71 per $1,000 of a home’s assessed value, the rate the City would spend on the fire department. This results in a net increase of only $0.34 per $1,000 for Camas homeowners. For a Camas home valued at $650,000*, this equates to an estimated annual tax increase of $221.00 a year or $18.41 per month for fire service in 2027.

• *Calculations are the average assessed value of homes and not market value.
• All amounts are estimated based on current data as of 2025. 
• The difference in cost increases between the cities is a result of the different total assessed value of each city and on the formulas defined in the interlocal agreement. Under the RFA, all property owners pay the same rate of $1.05/$1,000.  
• Both cities have a levy for Emergency Medical Service. When these levies expire, the property owners would pay the RFA directly for this service. 
• Voters in Camas and Washougal each approved a bond to build a new station within their city. The cost of these stations will be on their respective property tax statements until the debt is retired.