Lakeside-area residents will have the chance to vote on a proposed expansion of the Lakeside Rural Fire Protection District.

The measure would require “yes” votes from residents in the current and the proposed areas. If approved, the expansion would double the territory in the district from 5 square miles to approximately 10 square miles.

The Coos County Board of Commissioners put the expansion bid on the Nov. 4 ballot. Fire Chief Ted Ross has heard strong opinions on both sides of the issue.

“I hope the voters consider it very carefully,” he said.

The fire department has responded more frequently to fire and emergency calls outside its district boundaries in recent years. Many of the calls are to homes bordering Tenmile Lakes. That service is costing the district money, because those property owners aren’t paying for fire service.

Money also is on the minds of those who oppose expanding the district. Lakeside Mayor Orville Nelson, who also served on the fire district board for eight years, said he isn’t against the idea of expansion, just the method in which the district is seeking to accomplish it.

“I don’t think they realize how much it will cost,” Nelson said. “I think they will go broke if they try it.”

He said many people in Lakeside live on fixed incomes and can’t afford to pay for the additional equipment needed to serve new territory.

Property owners in the added territory would pay the current 99 cents per $1,000 assessed value. They will not be obligated to pay on a bond levy already in effect.

Nelson would rather see the property owners in the proposed addition form their own district and purchase equipment for it. Then, perhaps the two districts could contemplate a merger, Nelson said.

Stretching staff and equipment too thin is another concern for Nelson. Most volunteer fire departments in rural areas struggle to fill their ranks, he said. Lakeside is no exception.

Ross said the district is always looking for recruits. He is confident people in the proposed addition would be willing to volunteer.

The district hasn’t yet come up with locations to store a truck and equipment in the proposed territory.

The district does have plans to have firefighting boats stationed on North and South Tenmile lakes. Water drills tested the response time of those boats. From the time of dispatch, usually from firefighters’ houses, to arrival, a boat could be anywhere on the south lake in less than 10 minutes. The response time for locations on the north lake is less than 15 minutes. In those areas of the district, the main response would be by water, Ross said.

“We would still send trucks to any place where there are roads, but boats are much quicker,” he said.

In addition to asking for more help from volunteers within, Ross said the district is working on an automatic aid agreement with fire departments in Hauser and North Bay to supplement both equipment and firefighters for each of the three agencies.

The tentative agreement would stipulate that each department supply an engine and water truck to fire calls in any of the three districts’ territories.

District officials are shooting for a date in the middle of October for another town hall meeting to allow community members a chance to ask questions.

Should the measure fail, Ross said, people outside district boundaries may be charged if firefighters respond.

“We will continue to provide services if we are asked to, but there will be a bill associated with it,” Ross said.