LETTER: Don’t put off funding VIFR, vote ‘yes’ on levy

Published 1:30 am Tuesday, October 24, 2017

Don’t put off funding VIFR, vote ‘yes’ on levy

A commentary published in this newspaper last week argued against the ballot measure to restore the tax levy rate supporting Vashon Island Fire & Rescue — a levy last set 27 years ago (“Why you should vote against the VIFR levy,” Oct. 18). This is exactly the kind of “put it off” thinking that got us into this crisis in the first place.

The commentary did not mention that next year VIFR will face a $1.2 million budget deficit. It did not acknowledge that VIFR is receiving more and more simultaneous aid calls that it struggles to cover. It did urge more volunteers, but does not mention that volunteering to be a firefighter takes 240 hours of training, a firefighter/EMT takes another 160 hours or that few people are willing to make that huge commitment. It did not mention that our fire and aid vehicles are so old they do not meet national standards, nor did it mention that next year VIFR will have no money in reserve to cover replacing them. It suggests that VIFR could save money by leasing, rather than buying, replacement vehicles without acknowledging the additional interest costs of leasing or noting that no fire district in our region leases vehicles. It ignores the fact that current fire commissioners and those seeking to be elected wholeheartedly support this initiative, along with the firefighters’ union and VashonBePrepared. It ignores the fact that we are an island and are on our own.

The commentary uses spurious numbers to inflate the actual cost to property owners of approving the levy and it dismisses nine months of research by our new fire chief to reveal just how much trouble VIFR is in. The new chief wants to protect all of us. I support him and all of our first responders. I hope you will, too. Please vote “yes” on Proposition 1.

— Ron Smothermon