Editor,

In your mail earlier this week, you likely received an informational piece from South Whidbey Fire/EMS (SWFE) presenting an upcoming ballot measure, a lid lift asking voters to increase the fire levy by 39 cents per $1,000 property valuation. In short, as demands for fire and EMS services increase annually, SWFE’s ability to respond to them does not.

Just last week, demand versus response was glaring when the only three firefighters on duty responded to a structure fire needing volunteer backup. After an hour and three pager alerts, only two volunteers showed up. Had a second such call had come in then, no one would be available.

When seconds count in an emergency, adding two more, on-duty firefighters per day will reduce response times from 15 minutes district wide now, to 10 minutes. The lid lift also will allow the staffing of a third station thereby reducing response times on southeast Whidbey Island by five minutes. Response times will further decrease as 1990s-era fire engines are replaced by new ones.

A small increase of real estate taxes will yield big returns in lives and properties saved. So I urge you to vote yes, SWFE lid lift.

Mike Noblet

Clinton