Our fire department hasn’t asked for money in more than 25 years. Name a non-profit organization (or close family member) you can say that about. Meantime, emergency responses have gone up from 600 per year to 1,600 per year. Belt tightening and decent financial management, plus remarkable preservation and care of aging vehicles has made this possible.

We have the lowest-funded fire department in King County. In fact, we are one of the lowest-funded fire departments in the state. Annual audits by Washington State show a frugal, bare bones operation doing a remarkable job with its resources. A business owner and member of the Rotary here took a close look at the VIFR books to see how well our money was being managed and came back to a public meeting with testimony for accountability and efficiency. No fat here. I was shocked to hear about a 14-year-old fire truck, but then I heard about a 29-year-old one. The rest vary, but most of them are out of compliance for their usage age. A small administrative staff works tirelessly to keep track of all the finances, manage personnel, facilities and equipment. Don’t forget the mountains of paperwork for the feds, King County, Washington State, you name it.

The amount of money we are talking about per household for this levy probably wouldn’t even replace a musical instrument or two in most of our houses. Remember the grass fire on July 4th? How much would you pay not to have that come to your house? If you think your fire insurance can really make up the cost of a fire spreading from your neighbor’s house, you haven’t looked at your deductible lately. Vote wisely, fellow islanders. Support our fire department and the safety and health of our community. Vote “yes.”

— Holly Tuttle