Letter: Levy a duplication of services, taxes for EMS

Editor,

This is an open letter to the board of fire commissioners for South Whidbey Fire and Rescue and taxpayers of the South Whidbey community:

You have failed the community in providing the appropriate fire protection. Losing over 200 members from the fire department during Mr Palmer’s tenure as chief is completely unacceptable.

He would describe it as a loss due to a decline in volunteerism. That is only a half truth.

Yes, there is a decline in volunteerism at a national level, but 200 people? That is bad management. Do you check on how your members are doing?

Do you ask why they have left?

Where is the advertisement for getting new volunteers? Where are the big recruitment drives? The only time we hear from the fire department is a plea for money.

I was at the Fire Fair, it was nothing more than a political move for the levy Lift. Asking for a levy lift after a 64 percent raise to the current fully paid union firefighters and $6 million new fire station is another complete failure.

You are asking the community to give the current union firefighters another 100 percent raise and hire more, knowing full well that it will demoralize the volunteer firefighters who do the work, not for money but for pride.

Shame on you. You are bad stewards of public money.

I have been a community member for many years and lived through the destruction and replacement of a volunteer fire department to a “combination” fire department on Bainbridge Island. The department was never the same and was often plagued by firefighter shortages.

The department went back to the public and requested more money to hire part-time firefighters due to the lack of volunteers. It was a failure when we lived there.

This will be a duplication tax for existing EMS services already provided by the hospital. The ambulances that you see running around are not South Whidbey Fire and Rescue. They are from the hospital and have a station in Bayview. They are fully paid union paramedics. The hospital is responsible for EMS services on South Whidbey.

South Whidbey Fire and Rescue is a first responder agency and is responsible for all fire and rescue related services. Basically, they assist the hospital in EMS services.

This levy will provide a duplication of services and taxes for EMS. In other words, we will be double taxed. If you want to support the fire department, join and then make a difference at a management level. I strongly encourage the community to speak to a volunteer firefighter or a former firefighter to get their opinion.

The fire commissioners have failed the community. Make them repair the damages that they have done before giving them more money.

Mike Smith

Langley