Hello neighbor!
I was hoping I could have a few minutes of your time? Not to be dramatic, but it could be a matter of life or death.
Did you know that Lewis County Fire District 3 (LCFD3) is 49 square miles serving communities in Silver Creek, Klickitat, Ajlune, Cinebar and Mossyrock?
They also serve visitors each year who bring revenue to our area, supporting our local businesses. This August, LCFD3 will be asking you to continue a current EMS levy. Please allow me to tell you why this is so important to me and why it should be important to everyone who lives in our district.
This levy is not a new tax. It is a continuation of a 2020 levy.
First, a little background about myself. I am a homeowner here in Mossyrock, a parent, a daughter of an aging parent, and a current volunteer with LCFD3, commonly known as Mossyrock Fire.
I specifically volunteer with the EMS (emergency medical service) side. This EMS levy allows us to provide paramedics for advanced lifesaving (ALS) calls. I am not a medic. I am an EMT who provides basic lifesaving (BLS) skills. I can do a lot, but medics can do much more with their advanced training. Things like administering life-saving medications, offering pain management, and heart monitoring are a few examples.
I am proud of what I can do for you, but if my loved one was really sick or hurt, I would want them to have advanced care as quickly as possible.
I love living where we do, but living rural does have some barriers to quick access to medical care at a time when we need it the most.
Please vote to approve the levy so we can continue to offer the best pre-hospital care. I am not someone who likes to dwell in the negative, but I feel like I wouldn’t be truthful if I didn’t share what would happen without your support to continue the current EMS levy.
The first thing to be cut would be our ALS, and the availability of paramedic care.
No one, at least no one I have met, is in favor of higher taxes. I am not a tax expert, but I have been assured that continuing this tax will not increase my taxes, especially with the bond (building tax) dropping from our taxes in 2027.
Over the past year, I have watched our chief cut all services that we could do ourselves and adjust spending to eliminate non-essential items. Even with these severe adjustments, without the levy, basic lifesaving services will be reduced. There will not be enough funds to maintain both ambulances, nor will we have the ability to add new medical equipment. Supplies will become limited, along with the ability to offer essential training for the volunteers that are here to help. Our outreach programs that bring us into the school classrooms, and community CPR classes, would need to be eliminated.
Again, I want to plead with you to vote on the EMS levy. This really could be the difference of life or death. I know I am not alone in my passion to see this levy be continued, so I urge you to ask any LCFD3 volunteer questions. Then, I encourage you to help me tell others.
Thank you for listening. If you have any questions, contact the fire station or check out the website. Stay safe, and we will be here when you need us.
Amy Edgington
Mossyrock
