Dan Paulson for SJI Fire District/EMS Levy
Dear San Juan Island citizens,
You will be receiving your ballot for the November 2, 2021 general election. I am urging you to join me in voting YES to strongly support SJC Fire Protection District No.3 Proposition No. 1 Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Levy.
Consolidating emergency services into a single agency is critical for the sustainability of our emergency services system. Professional, quality and affordable EMS service for our communities is fundamental to island life.
An appointed Citizens Advisory Group (of which I was a member) strongly recommended the consolidation of emergency services into a single agency.
The Town of Friday Harbor citizens overwhelming voted to merge with SJ Island Fire and Rescue in order to facilitate this consolidation.
The elected boards of Public Hospital District #1 and Fire District #3 have both voted to move forward to consolidate emergency medical services into San Juan Island Fire and Rescue.
The current EMS system on San Juan is unique and one of the last EMS agencies in the state that is not combined with fire and rescue. In fact, most of the Washington State laws are geared for a single emergency response agency. San Juan Fire District #3 has a very good record of managing their system and personnel, and always having a balanced budget.
There are many advantages to the merger, including,
- improved response time
- unified training program
- unified command structure
- administrative cost savings
- simplified levy management
- in house EMT’s, paramedic’s and fire personal
Thank you for voting YES on this important issue.
Dan Paulson
Former paramedic
CAG member