Fire District 41 Overview
King County Fire Protection District 41 provides fire protection and emergency medical services to the unincorporated area of King County North and West of Kirkland and South of Kenmore, Bothell, and Woodinville; including Finn Hill, North Juanita, and the portion of Kingsgate West of 124th Avenue NE. See "District Boundaries" below for a map of the District.

Fire District 41 is organized and governed under the provisions of Title 52 of the laws of the State of Washington.

Fire Commissioners

Fire District 41 is governed by a three member Board of Commissioners. The current Fire District 41 Commissioners are:

*    Jim Lloyd (Commissioner Position 1; current term ends 2011)
        jlloyd50@comcast.net
        (425) 823-0992
*    Rich Krogh (Commissioner Position 2; current term ends 2013)
        richard.krogh@verizon.net
        (425) 823-9175
*    Toby Nixon (Commissioner Position 3; current term ends 2015)
        toby@tobynixon.com
        (425) 823-9779

Commissioners elect a chairman from among the members of the commission. Commissioner Lloyd is the current Chair of the Board of Commissioners.

Commissioners do not receive a salary for their service, but receive a monthly stipend per meeting and reimbursement of expenses. Commissioners are elected at-large; all registered voters in the District vote for all three Commissioners. Commissioners serve six-year terms; the terms are staggered such that one Commissioner position is up for election in each odd-numbered year.

Although the current Commissioners were elected to six-year terms, all of their terms will end on June 1, 2011, when Fire District 41 is dissolved upon annexation of the area in the City of Kirkland. Fore more information, see "Annexation Information" below.

The Commissioners manage the affairs of the District, including establishing the District budget each year and setting the property tax levy that is used to pay for the services provided by the District. Approximately 90% of the District's annual budget is paid to the City of Kirkland for the staffing of the District's fire stations. The remainder of the budget is used for the District's administration or held in reserve for future capital replacement costs of fire stations and equipment.

The Commissioners work closely with the Kirkland Fire Chief and senior managers of the fire department, establishing policies and guidelines for service within the District and addressing issues with facilities and equipment. The Commissioners oversee management of the District's capital reserve, address legislative and legal matters that affect District operations, and perform other duties as required by the Fire District statutes.

Commissioner Meetings
The Fire District 41 Board of Commissioners holds its regular monthly meeting on the 4th Tuesday of each month at 3:00 p.m. Meetings are held at the offices of Davidson, Czeisler & Kilpatric, P.S., 520 Kirkland Way, Suite 400, in Kirkland.

Special meetings are held from time to time, and regular meetings are occasionally cancelled or rescheduled. Special meetings and changes to regular meetings are announced as required by the Washington State Open Public Meetings Act,
RCW 42.30.

The public is welcome to attend any Board of Commissioners meeting, but we recommend that you contact the District Secretary or Administrative Assistant in advance to verify the time and location of the meeting.

Fire Stations
Fire District 41 owns three fire stations and the fire trucks and other equipment in those stations. The District stations are:
*    Station 24, 8411 84th Avenue NE (Aid 24, Air Unit 21)
*    Station 25, 12033 76th Place NE (Aid 25, Engine 25)
*    Station 27, 11210 NE 132nd Street (Aid 27, Engine 27)

District Staff
Fire District 41 does not hire firefighters directly. The District contracts with the City of Kirkland to staff Station 25 and Station 27 with professional firefighters. Station 24 is staffed by reserve (volunteer) firefighters who are trained and certified emergency medical technicians; the reserve program is also administered by the City of Kirkland and funded in part by Fire District 41. A copy of the District's contract for services with the City of Kirkland may be viewed here:

The District has one full-time employee who handles the administrative affairs of the District. The District also contracts for legal and other services.

District Secretary and Administrative Assistant

The Fire District 41 secretary and legal counsel is Ken Davidson, of Davidson, Czeisler & Kilpatric, P.S., 520 Kirkland Way, Suite 400, Kirkland, WA 98033. Mr. Davidson may be contacted at ken@kirklandlaw.com or (425) 822-2228. The District Secretary also serves as the Public Records Officer for the District.

The Fire District 41 Administrative Assistant is Tracy Fitzgerald. She may be contacted at tfitzgerald@ci.kirkland.wa.us or (425) 587-3662.

Public Records Requests

The records of Fire District 41 are subject to disclosure under the Washington State Public Records Act, RCW 42.56, subject to exemptions defined in law. Requests for disclosure of records should be directed to the District Secretary, who has been designated by the Board of Commissioners as the District's Public Records Officer. No special request form is needed, and requests may be submitted in any form convenient to the requester including email.

District Boundaries

Fire District 41 includes the unincorporated area of King County North and West of Kirkland and South of Kenmore, Bothell, and Woodinville, including Finn Hill, North Juanita, and the portion of Kingsgate West of 124th Avenue NE. The map below shows the District in light green.

Annexation Information

The area served by Fire District 41 will be annexed into the City of Kirkland effective June 1, 2011. Residents of the District will see no significant change in their fire service as a result of annexation since the District's stations are already staffed by City of Kirkland firefighters. Upon annexation, ownership of the District's stations and equipment will transfer to the City of Kirkland, as will any remaining District reserve funds, and Fire District 41 will be dissolved. The separate fire district property tax will no longer be collected; instead, residents of the newly annexed area will pay the City property tax to the City of Kirkland, which funds the fire protection service through the City's general fund.

Fore more information on the impacts of annexations, visit
http://www.ci.kirkland.wa.us/annexation.