Letter to Editor: Simply Put — Vote YES for the Levy

— Annalies Schuh —

There is no better feeling then giving back to the community. The crew at Orcas Island Fire station not only goes above and beyond the call of duty, they do it without even hesitating. When the pager blares, they respond during the worst weather conditions, in the darkest middle of the night, they even leave loved ones during family celebrations, and then they see the most horrible human circumstances that would make many us have lasting nightmares. Vote YES for the levy!

As someone who has been on island for 18 years and part of the fire ‘family’ I feel I have earned the right to speak out against the naysayers. I’ve watched my parents volunteer for all of those 18 years, my brother Cameron joined the department in 2011, and I too have recently become a volunteer EMT. From my experiences, I know the equipment we need, the vehicles we need, the maintenance we need, the leadership we need, and the personnel required to do the job of protecting the citizens of our community have increased over those 18 years. Therefore, it stands to reason, so have the costs.

I have personally witnessed the numerous changes the fire department has gone through over the years. I remember way back as a little girl when our fire station used to be the building Roses is now located. This small station was so packed that even EMT drills had to be held in the freezing cold bays while the equipment sat outside. Today, as I sit in the same area eating wonderful food Roses has to offer, I think back to playing with my brother in that engine bay. Since that time, this community built a station that can hold all the required equipment, vehicles, offices, sleeper quarters, and meetings are now in a warm carpeted space. Our equipment has changed to include rescue rigs, rigs in outlying stations, and even 4 wheel drive vehicles so responders can get to some of the remote areas or steep driveways of the island.

There have been some half-truths told about volunteers and fire staff staying at “fancy” hotels. The hotels have been where a conference was held, booked at the government per diem rate, reserved well in advance before the entire venue was sold out, and our Assistant Chief was asked to be a presenter. When you do not plan ahead, rooms become no longer available and thus forced to book at someplace else, such as The Days Inn. Additionally, when training was held at the fire station everyone agreed to pool their lunch money, again at government per diem rate, to order a combined amount of Chinese food. Amazingly it was actually cheaper to do this and have it flown here on a commuter plane than to buy a meal for that many people on island. I believe the practice from now on will be to order locally no matter if the cost exceeds the per diem allotment. Lesson learned. Finally, from my very recent training, a definition of a ‘major car accident’ involves injury, trauma, one of more patients, and usually more than one vehicle. Rather than quibble about staying in a comfortable bed at a conference location, the definition of ‘minor’, or an agreed upon less expensive meal, lets look at the bigger picture. Vote YES for the levy!

Consider that numerous volunteer members who give up their time on Wednesday nights for EMT meetings or on Thursdays for fire drill. Add in some additional training on weekends as well. Trainings in vehicle extrication, rope rescue, AED use, airway devices, epi pens, pediatric emergencies, and much much more are the new normal. All of this takes time, effort, lots of paperwork, money, and staffing. These trainings are usually conducted by our paramedics, medical control doctor, an outside expert, the Chief, or Assistant Chief. Volunteers and staff go to these meetings to better educate themselves so they can help save Orcas lives and property. Vote YES for the levy!

What is so wrong with paying these experts in the field a prevailing wage? Orcas seems to have an attitude of ‘we’ll get things done on the cheap’. Well guess what, in the real world highly trained fire department personnel and administration make a whole lot more in wages than what this community ever offers. Luckily, the things that attract good people to the island are the beauty and the escape from the ills of big city life. Certainly not the wages. Asking for a salary percentage increase over a period of ten years hardly seems unreasonable.

The department has lots of vehicles. They need to be replaced on an ongoing schedule. In fact, if certain ones are not then the insurance rates for the department actually increase. Does it not seem likely that over a period of 10 years there would be several vehicle purchases? Vote YES for the levy!

Yes, the department has added more staffing in the last 15 years. Think about it, our community needs have grown, government regulations continue to increase, the amount of paperwork and accounting is climbing exponentially, aide and fire call volumes have quadrupled, and requirements of volunteers have become very stringent. A staff of 3 just cannot do it all. With all of this, Orcas Fire has some of the fastest response rates, one of the highest level of cardiac saves, and some of the best training available. The King County online training system was adopted as well as the hands on testing. This has raised the level of expertise amongst the EMTs to ensure they are capable of handling medical or traumas on their own until the paramedic arrives.

I recently graduated from the EMT course that was offered on San Juan Island. For six months, two times a week, I traveled over to San Juan. Spending the night one of those days because there was no possibility of getting home due to lack of an evening ferryboat. For me, there was no gas, food, or lodging money exchanged. However, I know the investment in this entire EMT class of participants took wages for my trainers, equipment, ambulances, consumables, a building, heat, and definitely lots of paperwork. There is nothing free in this world.

In my very short time as an EMT, I’ve sat with patients on calls for over seven hours, done search and rescues till the early hours of the morning, helped firefighters rejuvenate after saving burning buildings, performed CPR on several people, helped with an effort to save someone who fell over 150 feet, and I’ve not asked for or received a single cent. I simply am doing it because I love my community and helping people is like no other experience. I get something back from all of you though; my reward is seeing the joy on people’s faces when they know Orcas Fire and Rescue have arrived and are going to take care of them. Vote YES for the levy!

It upsets me that people wouldn’t be willing to continue the levy, that bright orange rude political statements were put on our strictly ‘community events’ tank corner, the horrid stuff that is written online anonymously which include disgusting references to special needs children, and that so much vitriol is being spewed against the people I admire and respect. I cannot change the minds of people who seem to be bent on causing the destruction of every island public organization through some sort dissection of every intricate detail. BUT I hope you’ll take the time to talk to my mom, my dad, my brother, or me if you are at all on the fence. Look at the website https://supportoifr.com/ OR come on into the station and discuss your concerns as responsible adults. Vote YES for the levy!

Many people don’t realize the sheer time and effort every single one of our volunteers and administrators puts into making the Orcas Fire Department run smoothly. I am confident we provide the best quality care to the islanders as is humanly possible and the department is prudent in utilizing taxpayer dollars. I ask you to invest in your community, keep your taxes at the same level, and invest in Orcas Fire by voting YES on the EMT/Fire levy.