In Washington, unprotected land means improved property located outside of any fire protection jurisdiction; that is, land where no fire district or city/town fire department is responsible for fire protection.

There is no statutory obligation for a fire district or agency to provide fire protection in areas without an existing fire protection jurisdiction unless there is a contract or agreement in place.

Any response outside of our jurisdiction meets the definition of a gift of public funds and is not allowed by the Washington State Auditor’s Office as defined by the Washington State Constitution.

If property owners in an unprotected area choose not to annex into a fire protection district or enter into a contract, fire services are not legally required to be provided.

Even when an area is “unprotected,” when we have available resources to respond, Cowlitz 2 Fire & Rescue will respond and bill for the full cost of the response. If it is a medical response, the billing for the response is in addition to the patient transport billing. This billing is in accordance with Revised Code of Washington (RCW) 52.12.160 (4)(a). Click here for our policy on Out of District Response.