Fire Dept. Union urges yes vote on upcoming levy

Dear Editor,

We are writing today to show our support for the upcoming levy in Montesano.

This levy will only support the fire department and will help ensure we have the necessary equipment to continue to provide the life-saving services we have all come to depend upon.

Together we represent the five paid firefighter/paramedics and the 25 volunteer EMTs who, along with our chief and billing clerk, make up the Montesano Fire Department.

In 2016, we had 1,370 calls for service — an increase of more than 10 percent from the previous year. That is an average of more than 3.75 calls every day of the year.

The fire department is run in a very efficient manner. We take very seriously the commitment to extract the maximum value from each tax dollar we receive. We take excellent care of the equipment we acquire and do our absolute best to make it last as long as possible. For example, the engine we want to replace was purchased in 1991, nearly 26 years ago. The ambulances we’re buying these days we expect to get at least 15 years of service from and are hoping for even more.

We will continue to provide top-quality and timely service to the citizens of Montesano no matter how they vote in the upcoming election. Voting yes will just make it that much easier for us to do.

Regards,

Union Local 1892

Montesano Volunteer Fire Department (a nonrofit WA corporation)