The public is invited to attend an upcoming meeting to discuss the possibility of a fire levy lid lift on the primary election ballot.

The South Whidbey Fire/EMS Board of Fire Commissioners will convene at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 14 at Station 36 — also known as the district administration office — located at 5579 Bayview Road.

The fire district is considering asking voters to approve a levy lid lift of 39 cents, raising the rate from 81 cents to $1.20 per $1,000 of assessed property value. Although a fire levy rate of 95 cents was approved in 2021, rising property values have since compressed the rate to its current status.

With the average call response time hovering around 15 minutes, South Whidbey Fire/EMS is hoping to significantly reduce this amount with the hiring of additional full-time firefighters. District officials also want to replace aging and outdated equipment, which is a costly endeavor in this post-pandemic economy.

According to a press release from South Whidbey Fire/EMS, the fire levy lid lift would fund two more firefighters per day to reduce response times for fire and EMS calls to 10 minutes or less on average, and staff a third station in the southeast part of the district to decrease response times by an average of five minutes.

For the owner of a $600,000 home, the levy lid lift would cost an additional $19.50 per month. For more information, visit swfe.org or contact Fire Chief Nick Walsh at 360-321-1533 or chief@swfe.org.

Firefighters participate in training exercises. (Photo by South Whidbey Fire/EMS)

Firefighters participate in training exercises. (Photo by South Whidbey Fire/EMS)

Firefighters participate in training exercises. (Photo by South Whidbey Fire/EMS)