Having served for 12 years as a volunteer EMT (1997-present), Volunteer Board Member/President 1999-2001, Fire Commissioner (2002-2006) and Emergency Medical Services Long Range Planning Committee chair 2004/05. there are very few people around that have the same perspective as to the growth and direction of the district as I.
Up front I will say that I have certainly not agreed with every decision the commissioners and administration have made. However, I can say with certainty that the current commissioners and administration have held true to the promises of the 1999 levy lid lift.
We asked for the lid lift for three main reasons.
1. To build a new station in Eastsound while making improvements to the six outlying stations.
2. To replace obsolete engines and ambulances while upgrading individual members gear.
3. To provide some form of health insurance subsidy for the volunteers while creating a health & fitness program.
Every one of those commitments has been accomplished or will be completed by 2014 when the levy lid lift expires.
Have there been mistakes along the way? Yes. Most were eventually recognized and mitigated. Has the fire department leadership been committed to improve our service to you, its customers? YES!
I am most proud of being a part of this group of folks, from fire commissioners, to administration, to the officers and volunteer members because of the outstanding response and service they provide. That level of service is the single most important thing we do. It would have not been possible without the levy in 1999 and it would have not been possible without the leadership of the current board. Planning for the future while taking care of the present is the challenge this Board of Fire Commissioners face.
There were 328 calls to ‘911’ in 1999. 2009 will see that number more than double to nearly 700. This group of people has made the difficult transition to a state of the art volunteer/professional department because of their foresight and dedication to the mission.
When you sit down with your ballot please ask yourself one question “Are top notch emergency services important to me and my family”?
If the answer is yes then I suggest you vote for Clyde Duke and Barbara Bedell to continue their work overseeing the improvement of your fire department. They are both critical cogs in the life safety wheel that rolls to your emergencies.
Just ask anyone we have helped.
Bob Phalan
We often elect well meaning people. As a group, the present Fire Commissioners have supported an infrastructure that far exceeds the needs of our rural community. Our Olga fire house cost under $30k. $1.3 million seems a lot of money to pay for the Deer Harbor fire house that supports the same amount of equipment. I think having volunteers sleeping there could easily be accomplished with a moderately priced trailer costing perhaps $40K. So for under $100K the community gets to save one million dollars in taxes, which frankly I think could be better used by our schools. Then there is the $125,000 pickup truck. We are a rural community – We cannot afford the cost and maintenance of big city fire departments that we are trying to mimic. We need a new group of well meaning individuals that have a different slant on things.
We often elect well meaning people. As a group, the present Fire Commissioners have supported an infrastructure that far exceeds the needs of our rural community. Our Olga fire house cost under $30k. $1.3 million seems a lot of money to pay for the Deer Harbor fire house that supports the same amount of equipment. I think having volunteers sleeping there could easily be accomplished with a moderately priced trailer costing perhaps $40K. So for under $100K the community gets to save one million dollars in taxes, which frankly I think could be better used by our schools. Then there is the $125,000 pickup truck. We are a rural community – We cannot afford the cost and maintenance of big city fire departments that we are trying to mimic. We need a new group of well meaning individuals that have a different slant on things.
We often elect well meaning people. As a group, the present Fire Commissioners have supported an infrastructure that far exceeds the needs of our rural community. Our Olga fire house cost under $30k. $1.3 million seems a lot of money to pay for the Deer Harbor fire house that supports the same amount of equipment. I think having volunteers sleeping there could easily be accomplished with a moderately priced trailer costing perhaps $40K. So for under $100K the community gets to save one million dollars in taxes, which frankly I think could be better used by our schools. Then there is the $125,000 pickup truck. We are a rural community – We cannot afford the cost and maintenance of big city fire departments that we are trying to mimic. We need a new group of well meaning individuals that have a different slant on things.