— from John Evans —
I am writing to urge our community on Orcas to vote in favor of the Fire/EMS levy.
Wanda and I have first hand experience with the Department. I was a volunteer fire fighter for 15 years and Wanda was an EMT for 13 years. We “retired” because with age, I was more likely to be a recipient of the emergency service than a provider.
The department has grown as our community and needs have grown. We have an excellent Chief who is responsible for keeping the many moving parts of this organization functioning 100%. There is no room for oops or good enough.
One uncontrollable aspect of the budget is the never ending and expanding State requirements for training and equipment. Fire and EMS Districts do not have the option of getting along with old equipment or limited training of volunteers and staff.
There has been some negative comments about the department as part of this levy request. I can’t tell you if the car in the ditch matter should have been handled differently or if the coffee budget for the volunteers is too high. To me these are minor issues that can crop up in any complex organization.
I can tell you that I have full trust in the current Fire Chief and believe the department he runs is of the quality that all of us expect. I believe the budget that has been put forward for the voters is what the department, staff and volunteers need to continue their excellent service into the future.
Please vote to pass the levy request.
2012 Chief Harris salary & benefits = $85,000
2012 Assistant Chief positions = $52,200
2014 Assistant Chief position = $114,000
2014 Chief O’Brien salary & benefits = $132,000
2014 total = $246,000
2012 total = $137,200
Difference = $108,800
Very little difference in the work load from 2012 -2014
As trite as it may sound Bob, “You get what you pay for.” Chief O’Brien has a 24/7 workload. He is essentially on-call 24/7 and makes decisions about life saving issues, while managing a team of emergency workers effectively. In addition, as John Evans points out, our fire chief and his staff must be knowledgable about complex compliance requirements which continue to increase the challenges of the job. Chief O’Brien is totally invested in our community, and to being our fire chief. He earns and deserves every penny of his salary which is competitive with the other islands. For a reasonable investment, we get the very best in our chief, and in his assistants. If we want the best, we must be willing to provide the support that is reasonable for sustaining the cost over throughout this next levy period.
Bob Phalan is well aware that Chief Harris was not a full time employee, as Chief O’Brien is. Similarly, having an assistant Chief who is also a paramedic provides additional support for the 25% of calls that occur simultaneously. Yes, the costs are higher, but so is the service. We are getting a great value for our investment.
Sorry Jean but Chief Harris brought 17 years of experience as a chief in volunteer departments while Chief O’Brien brought exactly zero such experience as a chief or managing volunteers. Chief Harris was also on call 24/7 and was “part time” in name only. Check his time cards. These are indisputable facts.
Secondly, anyone that believes that for every 4 calls we have two at the same time is simply not grounded in reality.
You, John and Wanda do great work for Orcas Jean. Thank you for your years of service.