Central Whidbey Island Fire and Rescue will hold two question and answer sessions ahead of the Nov. 7 general election about a fire levy lid lift measure that will appear on the ballot, according to a press release.
The first session will take place at 6 p.m. Oct. 19 at Station 54, located at 3253 Day Road in Greenbank, and the second is scheduled for 10 a.m. Oct. 28 at Station 51, located at 109 North Main Street in Coupeville.
Fire Chief Jerry Helm will deliver a short presentation and answer any questions.
The fire district is asking voters to change the fire levy from $0.86 to $1.18 per $1,000 of assessed property value. The $0.32-cent lid lift would cost an additional $160 per year or $13.34 per month for the owner of a $500,000 home.
The purpose of the lid lift is to improve emergency services, according to the department. Central Whidbey Fire reported that call volumes have increased 50% since 2012, but current staffing levels have not kept up with the community’s growing demand for emergency services. As a result, response times are increasing.
Additionally, the fire district has stated that it cannot guarantee personnel will be available to respond when a second, third or fourth call happens at the same time — which is occurring more frequently. Overlapping calls account for 28% of all calls, according to the department. The fire district relies on full-time, part-time and volunteer personnel, but volunteers are not always available to respond, which results in unpredictable staffing levels. This then leads to longer response times that can seriously affect survival rates. Of all calls the department receives, 60% are for emergency medical services.
The fire levy lid lift would fund four additional firefighter/EMTs. The additional staff would allow the fire district to provide both a fire engine and a basic life support medical unit at the same time. It would also allow the fire district to meet state safety requirements to perform interior search and rescue operations without having to wait for another fire engine to arrive on the scene, the department stated.
