JACKSONVILLE — The fire department will be fully staffed by paid firefighters for the first time in the town’s history beginning early next week, officials said.

Chief Tracy Shaw likened Tuesday’s addition of three full-time firefighters and the hiring in August of Derek Bates as operations chief to a dream come true.

"It’s kinda like ‘pinch me,’" said Shaw. "This is so great."

Shaw said his excitement over acquiring a paid staff in no way diminishes his gratitude for the decades of support and coverage the city received from its strong volunteer force.

"We’ve had phenomenal response for a town that was all volunteer," said Shaw.

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Shaw said response to serious medical emergencies or structure fires was always a priority for volunteers. But having four highly trained responders in addition to interns and volunteers makes for a much safer city, he said.

All calls can receive prompt attention, he said. And his crew will be better able to respond to mutual aid calls from the Applegate, Medford and Fire District No. 3, he said.

"We provide automatic mutual aid for Applegate from our city limits to Cady Road," said Shaw. "When they tone, we tone."

Funding for the new hires comes from a $230,000 fire department levy passed in November 2004. The levy imposed a property tax of $1.06 per $1,000 of assessed value on Jacksonville properties, or about $265 for the owner of a $250,000 home.

The levy was approved as an interim funding source while the city defends its controversial public safety surcharge in the Oregon Supreme Court in a lawsuit brought by a dozen local citizens.

In order to begin collecting the levy money, the city honored its promise that it would not "double tax" its citizens and stopped collecting the surcharge in June 2005. The $470,000 collected in surcharge fees since the tax’s June 2003 implementation is being held in an account while the court challenges play out, officials said.

City Administrator Paul Wyntergreen said the city is still hoping to prevail in court.

Shaw said he hopes the city will prevail as well because a surcharge would provide a stable funding source for his department. But if the city does lose its court battle, Shaw said he believes citizens of the two-square-mile town will pass another levy when this one expires after five years.

"We’ll show them what they get with a (fully) paid staff and our volunteers," said Shaw.

Reach reporter Sanne Specht at 776-4497 or e-mail sspecht@mailtribune.com.