Richard Grout for Dwight Colley and Against Fire District/EMS Levy

Editor:

There are two items on your ballot that concern the San Juan Island Fire District:  a proposed levy to pay for taking over our Emergency Medical Services (EMS) and the election of Dwight Colley to the Fire Commission. Please consider voting NO on the levy and YES for Colley.

Eighty percent of our emergency calls are medical, not fire. EMS is running smoothly under the current Hospital District Commission and EMS Superintendent. They have excellent response times.  Meanwhile, the Fire Commission has a member who called the chair of the Hospital District Commission a “bitch” in a public meeting. And the Sheriff recently terminated Fire’s authorization to use the sheriff’s boat because Fire repeatedly caused significant damage and then denied responsibility. Are these really the people we want to depend on when we’re having a medical emergency?  The leadership in the Fire District is not up to the job of running EMS.

No one on the Fire Commission has up-to-date EMS experience.  Yet the fire department sends a fire truck to most medical calls and probably will continue to do so whether they take over EMS or not. We need someone on the Fire Commission who understands how Fire can best assist EMS. Dwight Colley is an active Emergency Medical Technician with an impressive background. He would be of great benefit to the community in the role of Fire Commissioner.

Please consider voting NO on the FIRE LEVY and YES for DWIGHT COLLEY. We will all be better off for it.

Richard Grout
San Juan Island