||| FROM SCOTT WILLIAMS, CHIEF, ORCAS FIRE & RESCUE |||
To the Orcas Island community:
First and foremost, I will say the members of Orcas Island Fire & Rescue appreciate all of you and your support. As you explore the field of Emergency Services you will find caring people who enjoy being there in your “time of need” and this is what I hear from our volunteers and staff on a continual basis. OIFR is staffed with individuals who truly believe in our motto, Neighbors serving Neighbors.
I am writing this post to provide you the assurance that, when you dial 911 and the members of OIFR hear their call to action, they will provide you the same quality and fervor of professionalism and service that you already know and rely upon. Even today as we deal with additional weather-related emergencies, I am seeing OIFR members attend to the needs of the island while maintaining our services.
The fire department is currently working through some internal matters and we will do so professionally and in a manner that does not affect our service to the community. When you need help and dial 911 we will be there for you because that is our goal. This is a brief note to express our commitment to our community that we are here for you.
Thank you !
No one doubts that the Orcas Island Fire and Rescue District is here for us or that their service to us all remains exemplary. Where doubt comes in for me, and for possibly a lot of other concerned citizens, is in watching the morale of the volunteers and paid staff become so rock-bottom that they quit, or feel that they can’t speak out or speak up without serious repercussions.. Internal issues perhaps should be aired to the public for transparency and Public input. Questions deserve answers; problems deserve solutions. Shutting out the public in any taxing district or governmental agency, is a big mistake.
The RCWs in the Open Meetings Act ensure the Public the right to records that may help shed light for us on what is happening. Since everyone seems to be mum on providing the citizenry any details that would help us understand this issue from all sides, it doesn’t speak well to transparency and inclusion of the tax base being upheld. That is a big problem. The morale of the Dept IS our business.
In any governmental agency, if it’s public trust that’s desired, transparency is key. The highest aim of the Commissioners and Chief(s), besides being there for the community need as OIFD has always been, ought to be to improve relations and morale within the department so we don’t lose more of our trusted dedicated servants.
Low morale DOES affect performanc; it’s a form of trauma. Why is morale so low? What can be done to rectify that? I would like some breadcrumbs of hope from the Commission and Chief(s) that this is being remedied, since the Dept has a long history of internal struggle and strife. People cannot do their best when they are not valued. We all want to be seen, heard, and treated with respect. People who risk their lives and pay the emotional price every day, working in dangerous and high-stress situations (such as when lives are lost, despite best efforts), deserve the best we can give them. That fact is inarguable.
Sadie, that was probably one of the best comments we have seen in a while from an outsider… by that I mean someone with no political strings or agendas..
Our Fire/EMS Division is a fine establishment..
Filled with great individuals, it might just need a reset.. even the greatest Ball Team sometimes needs to step back… regroup, then move forward.
We don’t need fault, but a calm steady course change so all the department feels onboard. The Commission is a Intelligent group of individuals, the Staff, able… and the volunteers want to serve. So it’s all there.. onward.
Sadie. Wow. Very well-stated. Thank you.
Thank you, Sadie. Transparency is key to trust—internally and with the community.