Residents of White Center and the North Highline area would get slower fire protection service from Seattle than they get now from the North Highline Fire District or the district that covers Burien.

That was one message to a crowd of about 200 residents last week from those who provide fire protection, emergency medical service, water, and sewer service to the North Highline Unincorporated Area. Others explained how residents' monthly bills and yearly taxes could change if they are annexed by Seattle, Burien, form their own city or stay unincorporated.

The cost of some services would increase more if North Highline joined Seattle than if it became part of Burien. But the big city offers services and programs which the suburban city doesn't have.

The North Highline Unincorporated Area Council is leading the expedition into how North Highline ought to govern itself in the future. King County government provides many of its basic government services, but the county adopted the position that unincorporated areas should annex to a city or incorporate as a new city.

Currently the North Highline Fire Department provides fire protection and emergency medical service to White Center and Boulevard Park. It works cooperatively with the Burien-Normandy Park Fire Department now, as the two departments train together and back up each other's emergency calls. Their response times are similar.

Charts presented at the meeting showed that it takes an average of 5.4 minutes for North Highline firefighters and emergency medical technicians to respond to an emergency. That includes one minute for a 911 dispatcher to take the call and alert the fire station. One minute for firefighters to grab their gear, and 3.4 minutes to drive to the scene.

The Burien department averages between 3 and 5 minutes.

Response times for the Seattle Fire Department were presented too but did not include time for dispatch or getting gear (called "turnout"). Seattle's average response time for a fire is 4.62 minutes and for "basic life support" is 4.09 minutes. Add 1 minute for dispatch and another minute for turnout and North Highline and Burien are both about a minute faster than Seattle.

North Highline Fire Chief Russ Pritchard said his department and the Burien department send an aid car to most medical emergencies, while Seattle always sends a fire engine equipped with medical supplies. Pritchard said aid cars are faster, more maneuverable and less expensive than fire engines.

North Highline has one firefighter for every 572 residents, he said, while Seattle has one firefighter for every 1,000 residents. However, North Highline is partly staffed by volunteer firefighters while all Seattle firefighters are professionals.

Pritchard also pointed out that the North Highline Fire Department gets money to operate by asking North Highline voters annually to approve a tax on themselves that is exclusively for them. It's been that way since the fire department was established 63 years ago. The Burien fire department does the same thing.

The Seattle Fire Department gets its money from the city's general fund, so it competes with other city departments for money that is allocated by the Seattle City Council, he said.

Firefighters are the first to respond to medical calls, but if a disease or a severe accident is involved, paramedics from Medic One also roll to the scene. North Highline is part of Medic One's busiest area in King County, said Thomas Hearne, director. Last year there were about 12,000 calls for Medic One in King County and 2,400 of them were in North Highline, Burien and a few other nearby areas, he said.

The Medic One unit closest to North Highline is Fire Station 34 on Alaska Street in West Seattle.

Emergency medical service is paid for by a recurring emergency medical system levy approved by voters countywide. The current levy was approved by voters in 2002 and will be up for renewal at the end of 2007.

Levy money collected from Seattle residents stays in Seattle, Hearne said. Money collected in the rest of King County is divided among other municipalities according to a formula. So if North Highline became part of Seattle, levy money collected in North Highline would go to Seattle for use in the expanded city,

If Burien annexes North Highline, there would be no change.

If North Highline becomes part of Burien, there would be no change in Medic One service in the area. A backup facility is planned in Des Moines next fall.

North Highline residents receive their water from Water District No. 45 and Water District No. 20. Representatives of both water districts told meeting attendees that they've installed main water pipes that are 8 inches in diameter, while some of Seattle's water mains are 4 inches wide. As a result, North Highline residents have higher water pressure from their taps, said Loretta Brittenham, a commissioner from Water District No. 45.

There are considerable differences in the cost of sewer service, depending on which government North Highline eventually decides to join.

Depending on where in North Highline a house or business is located, it is served by either the Southwest Suburban Sewer District or Val Vue Sewer District.

The average household in the Southwest Suburban district sends about 5,600 gallons of wastewater to the sewer per month at a cost of $17.50.

The Southwest Suburban Sewer District has its own sewage treatment plants. But Val Vue does not, so it pays either Southwest Suburban or King County to process its sewage and passes the cost on to Val Vue customers, said Dana Dick, Val Vue general manager. Val Vue charges residential customers $32.60 a month.

If North Highline joins Burien, there would be no change in sewer fees.

Seattle charges $49.35 for an equivalent amount of sewage, Dick said. However, Seattle bases its sewer rates on how much water its customers use. Because more people in Seattle live in apartments and condos, they have fewer gardens and lawns to water, so the average city household uses less water, he said. Seattle residents pay about $36 a month.

Commercial rates are considerably different. For example, a restaurant in North Highline using 3,500 cubic feet of water per month pays the Southwest Suburban Sewer District $80. The same service provided by Seattle would cost the restaurant $230 per month, Dick said.

During the public comment portion of the meeting, Claire Henson of Boulevard Park said 24 percent of Boulevard Park residents are categorized as having "special needs." A study is needed to determine what services would best help North Highline residents with "special needs." A definition is needed of what "special needs" are, she said.

White Center has thousands of immigrants and Seattle offers many more programs and services for them than does Burien, said Sele Savusa.

"We go into Seattle for services now," she said.

Annette King, another White Center resident, also said White Center's diverse population frequently seeks services in Seattle.

How would Burien develop a "cohesive core" if its own business district became the center of city government but was overshadowed by White Center's business district, which is bigger and more densely developed than Burien's, a man asked.

He also wondered how North Highline property values would be affected by being annexed into a neighboring city.

"I don't want to put money into a big pot in Seattle," said Susan Smith. "We would have no control."

"Seattle never keeps their word," said John Cornett. His neighborhood voted 17 years ago to switch from being in a water district to become part of Seattle's water system. A lot of promises were made by Seattle officials about improving water service but little has been done, he said.

As discussions about future governance continue, North Highline residents are encouraged to think about how much government service they want. Do they want a 24-hour animal control department? Would it be OK to have streets with cracks in them? Do they want sidewalks on each side of the street in every block? How much litter is acceptable to residents? Such decisions will help determine how much money it will take to create the community North Highline residents want, said Judy Duff, vice president of the North Highline Unincorporated Area Council.

The next meeting of the North Highline Unincorporated Area Council is set for Thursday, Sept. 22 at St. Bernadette's School, 1028 S.W. 128th St. in Burien. A work study session at 6 p.m. will focus on incorporation's effect on police protection, human services and library services. A general meeting follows immediately after at 7 p.m. The public is invited.

Tim St. Clair can be reached at tstclair@robinsonnews.com or 932-0300.