Poulsbo EMS levy

No one is immune to emergencies

For most of us, life goes on from one day to the next without giving a second thought to all the risks around us. That heart attack, stroke, traffic accident or other life-threatening emergency always seems to happen to someone else. Sometimes those events happen close to home involving someone we know and that causes us to pause for a minute and think about those who were involved. One thing is for sure: When bad things happen in our lives, they happen fast with no time to prepare. Young and old, rich and poor, catastrophes can and do happen to everyone.

That is what happened to more than 3,900 of our citizens who live in the area serviced by the Poulsbo Fire Department last year. Fire department personnel answered those 911 calls for help by providing critical on scene life safety support from emergency medical treatment, extrication of people trapped in motor vehicle crashes and to structure fires involving hazardous materials.

These are the reasons the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) levy is so important.

The majority of our 911 calls are for EMS response and as the numbers grew, the Board of Fire Commissioners added paramedics and staffed Station #72 located at Surfrest park to minimize the response time and provide better coverage throughout the district. Without these paramedics on duty, other neighboring districts would need to respond and travel to the scene, perhaps not in time to reach the victim before brain death occurs.

Now it is your turn. Our EMS levy must be renewed every six years. Please vote yes so that your fire department can continue to provide critical life saving EMS response. Yours could be the next call.

David Ellingson

Poulsbo

Let’s vote yes to maintain services

We are privileged to live in one of the most beautiful and caring communities in the Pacific Northwest. We also need to recognize how very fortunate we are to have excellent medical facilities plus highly skilled paramedics and EMTs who respond at a moment’s notice to our urgent calls for medical assistance. Our own Poulsbo Fire Department has a staff of nine paramedics and 27 EMTs with specialized training beyond their fire fighter schooling. As one who has had a few occasions to call 911 in desperate need of medical assistance for a family member, I can tell you how comforting it was to both the individual in great physical distress and to me to have these medically skilled crews arrive within minutes of my frantic plea for help.

We never know when we will have to summon emergency medical assistance but we certainly know we want their expert assistance and “please get here immediately.” As our community grows, the needs for the medical expertise of our paramedics and EMTs also increase. Please join me in supporting the upcoming May 20 ballot. Let’s maintain the excellent emergency services we are so fortunate to have in this community.

Judy Fuhrer,

Poulsbo

An explanation

of ‘user fee’

I would like to think that Mr. Marsh has a misunderstanding of the facts to request us to vote no on the EMS levy so that the (fire) department can submit a more reasonable request for us to vote on in the future. Imagine the state of our new splendid service while this is going on. The levy is not subject to the 1 percent limit on property tax increases but has its own cap of 50 cents per thousand. The fact is that the department has operated below this cap (at 30 cents per) is something we should appreciate as a demonstration of good stewardship of our money.

I have used their services several times during my years in Poulsbo and they are a magnificent group. Here is what the “user fee” that so “terribly disappointed” Mr. Marsh’s friends partially covered.

A team of paramedics and fire fighters at your door 24/7 to begin immediate medical attention. If it is determined to be necessary, you are given door-to-door transportation to the emergency room while the treatment continues in the ambulance and communication is maintained with the emergency department room staff so that they are expecting you and are aware of your condition and what has been done. This fee, which may be at least partially covered by your insurance, also aids in keeping the cost down for those lucky enough to not have needed their services. I shudder to imagine the result if this were a “free” ride. Calls would increase, service would decrease. Please vote yes for the EMS levy. It’s worth every penny.

Howard Smith,

Poulsbo

Levy will continue level of service

It is challenging to plan a budget when revenue is capped at 1 percent in a time when inflation drives costs of operations of emergency medical services upward of 4 to 5 percent. Fortunately, the law allows voters to increase the fire district revenue to meet increasing costs. That is the reason your Poulsbo Fire Department Commissioners offered the voters an opportunity to pass an EMS levy on May 20.

The current levy was approved by the voters in 2002 at 50 cents per $1,000 of assessed value. The assessed value increased. The assessor therefore adjusted the 50 cents rate down in order to stay within the 1 percent cap on revenue. That has happened each year through the six-year life of the 2002 EMS levy. In 2008, the levy rate is now 30 cents per $1,000. The current EMS levy expires on