Law enforcement to be at Pierce County fire department meeting after ‘flak jacket’ threat
The Pierce County Sheriff’s Department will be at the Key Peninsula Fire Department town hall meeting Saturday, providing security amid rumors of threats directed at the fire department commissioners, fire department spokesperson Anne Nesbit confirmed Thursday.
Sheriff’s deputy Nathan Betts will be at the meeting in uniform, Nesbit said. She wasn’t able to share if other deputies will be there.
The News Tribune has reached out to the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department to ask how many deputies will be at the meeting and is waiting for a response.
At a Board of Fire Commissioners’ meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 10, a citizen said she heard someone else say the board should wear flak jackets at the Sept. 14 meeting because of the anger people have about the department’s purchase of properties in Key Center, Nesbit told The News Tribune via email.
“This in my opinion, in this day and age, is too far,” Nesbit wrote. “We now have employees worried about their own safety.”
Even if the comment was made in jest, it’s not a joking matter, Nesbit later told The News Tribune via phone.
The Key Peninsula Fire Department purchased land near their Key Center fire station for $2.1 million in 2021, The News Tribune reported. The department had plans to establish a new fire station, training facility and health clinic there, but so far no action has been taken. Some residents have expressed concern that the original purchases were made without broad public support and transparency.
Nesbit said the department is making an effort to be transparent with the public by giving them a chance to talk with the commissioners directly, and this town hall is an important first step.
The town hall Sept. 14 is from 6-8 p.m. in the Whitmore Room at the Key Peninsula Civic Center, at 17010 S. Vaughn Road NW. Nesbit said the town hall will have no virtual attendance option in order to encourage people to come in-person.
Attendees will be able to ask questions about the Key Center property purchases and the department’s upcoming Maintenance & Operations levy, according to the fire department’s Facebook event. They will also receive a survey requesting community input on the property purchases at the town hall. The survey will also be made available online, according to Nesbit. The commissioners will review the survey responses afterward and let the public know of the results.
The News Tribune reported that the levy, which would renew current levels of funding for the fire department’s staffing, facilities maintenance and equipment, did not pass in August. The fire department will put the levy out for another vote in November.
The department plans to have another town hall meeting in October. If the discussion about the properties requires more time, they’ll be able to continue the discussion at that town hall; Otherwise, the October town hall will focus on discussing the M&O levy, Nesbit told The News Tribune.
