To the Editor:
Fire District 4’s August 5th EMS levy restoration vote deserves resounding support. Two additional paramedics per shift are needed urgently. Constitutional “consent of the governed” presupposes that voters make informed decisions. Some bizarrely adversarial, pedantic mischaracterizations making the rounds require contextually factual rebuttal.
Here’s mine:
• It’s foolhardy and dangerous to expect an FD with the footprint and call load of FD4 to cover the ENTIRE district with a staff of 10. Except for the far north 9 / Machias areas, FD4 is positioned very poorly geographically to receive timely first-due mutual aid.
• FD4’s frequent alarm concurrency and neighboring FD’s also dealing with understaffing create a detrimental domino effect areawide. It’s become a political hot potato because even the best “cooperative relationships” with helpful agencies, as with loved ones, can become strained through disproportionate resource expropriation.
• Shifting FD4 taxpayer money and operational control via subsumption into an RFA will NOT improve problematic •in-FD4• staffing levels, response times, or efficacy. Because FD4 already runs lean, no meaningful economies of scale would result. Frankly, the cost of capitulation would be incalculable.
• FD4 isn’t Edmonds. Apples and oranges. Edmonds is the only remaining city in Snohomish County for whom joining an RFA not only “makes sense” but is a no-brainer. South County Fire is a superbly competent agency.
FD4 leadership have demonstrated wise stewardship and planning. Without equivocation, I encourage even habitually disaffected citizens to vote YES.
Paul Keller
Inmate, Stafford Creek Corrections Center, Aberdeen
Formerly of Snohomish County
