SPOKANE
YES
CONTINUE
EMS
COMMENTS
City Council business last night didn’t elicit much public comment. The most important thing we did was officially place the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) levy on the ballot for April. This is a crucial funding mechanism that directly supports 54 paramedic/firefighters and enables the city to respond to 911 emergency medical calls. It has been approved by voters every 6 years since it was first instituted in 1980. As our population ages our EMS needs continue to grow so these funds are needed even more now today than they have been in the past.
Yes for EMS (Spokesman-Review Letter to the Editor; March 30, 2010
More than 20,000 times a year, residents of Spokane call out for help, and the men and women of the Spokane Fire Department are there to answer our calls. They come to our homes and to our businesses, responding to medical crises and providing a vital first link in the chain of survival.
As a physician caring for people with strokes, I know that the care my patients receive in the critical first few minutes from our Emergency Medical Service team is vital to whether they survive and to how disabled they might be. When my stroke patients do well, I know a large part of the thanks goes the EMS team.
Now is our chance to return the thanks in a concrete fashion. The EMS levy has been in place since 1980, providing financial support to the SFD. Back then, it was 25 cents per $1,000 property value. Now it is only a mere 50 cents per $1,000, or $50 for a home assessed at $100,000. The current levy expires in December 2010, and on April 27 we vote to renew it for the next six years.
Eat healthy. Exercise regularly. And vote “Yes” for EMS!
Madeleine C. Geraghty
Medical program director
Providence Sacred Heart
EMS vote should be yes (Spokesman-Review Letter to the Editor; April 11, 2010
Health care reform and the consequences of the new health care legislation remains a topic of vigorous discussion, often with an equal measure of hope, concern and uncertainty. On the April 27 ballot is an issue to vote for that is as close as we can come to guaranteeing a high-quality emergency medical response at a bargain price.
The Spokane Fire Department levy will cost property owners only 50 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value. Even for those with high-end homes, the resulting cost to support our emergency responders is minor in comparison to the cost of almost any other type of health care we might need. The proposed levy does not represent an increase, but rather a renewal of the levy currently in place that will expire at the end of this year.
This Spokane city EMS levy supports our EMS system which puts a highly trained emergency responder, in a manner of minutes, on your doorstep at the time of your emergency call. There is absolutely no less expensive nor more valuable medical care than that which this levy supports. I encourage you to vote yes for EMS on April 27!
James M. Nania, M.D.
Spokane
Team approach to health care (Spokesman-Review Letter to the Editor; April 11, 2010
There is no greater measure of the quality of life than the health of a community. The emergency medical services provided by the Spokane Fire Department in our homes, front yards and neighborhoods is one of the critical building blocks in maintaining and improving the health of our community.
The Spokane County Medical Society (SCMS) mission states, “The Society strives to improve and preserve the health of the citizens in our community.” Physicians need many partners in the continuum of care, including public health measures, preventive care, hospital services and long-term care, to name a few.
The firefighter EMTs/paramedics are critical members of this team and respond to 20,000-plus medical calls each year. They train thousands of citizens in CPR each year, helping us to save lives in our neighborhoods. The first-response basic and advanced life support services which respond to medical emergencies will continue with your support.
The SCMS leadership believes that your support for the EMS levy is necessary to continue these vital and cost-effective services. The Spokane Fire Department continues to be a critical resource to maintaining and improving the health of our community. Please vote with the SCMS in favor of the EMS levy.
Gary Knox, M.D.
President, Spokane County Medical Society
Spokane
You had to be there (Spokesman-Review Letter to the Editor; April 24, 2010)
These are difficult times for a great many of us, and we’re all watching our spending. However, there is one item I think we should all give serious consideration to spending some money on, and that is the EMS levy.
Perhaps those who have spoken out against renewing this critically important levy have never personally needed the services of the paramedics or have never had a relative, neighbor or friend who has required the services of the 911 responders for a medical crisis. As someone who has, I want to say it is a heartening feeling to awaken from a serious medical disorder with the paramedics around you administering emergency care.
It only takes needing the services provided by our firefighters one time to recognize that the minimal cost to each property owner is by far smaller than the assistance provided by these talented, well-trained professionals.
Are you willing to risk not having enough firefighters to staff Spokane’s fire stations? Are you willing to risk the life of a family member or friend because the emergency medical technicians’ numbers were so limited they couldn’t get to an emergency quickly enough?
Please, give this issue serious thought before marking your ballot.
Judith A. Gilmore
Spokane
Buy a little protection (Spokesman-Review Letter to the Editor; April 18, 2010)
Have you ever fallen in your home and been unable to get up? I have, five or six times. When it happens, you need three things: a phone within reach, a key hidden outside and a fire department crew to come to your rescue. If it wasn’t for them, I might not be alive to write this letter.
You may not think it would ever happen to you. But a heart attack, a stroke or a fall resulting in broken bones can happen to anyone, at any time.
That’s why I certainly will vote yes to retain the EMS levy. Think of it as not a tax, but an insurance policy against a time when you might be in dire need.
Dorothy E. Carter
Spokane
(Spokesman-Review Letter to the Editor; April 16, 2010)
So many changes have taken place over the past few years. One thing has stayed the same. Your emergency medical response from the Spokane Fire Department. When an emergency occurs and you dial 911, within minutes they arrive and bring trained paramedics and EMTs to your door.
We never know when we may need their help in a life or death situation. This stresses the importance of maintaining your current coverage. April 27 you have the opportunity to renew this service that continues to do an exceptional job for the citizens of Spokane.
Please let’s keep our community under the care of the Spokane Fire Department when a medical emergency occurs. Vote yes to renew the EMS levy April 27.
Bridget Luby
Spokane
(Spokesman-Review Letter to the Editor; April 16, 2010)
You probably recently received a ballot asking you to decide on continuing the EMS levy. Your Spokane firefighters are asking you to vote yes on this proposition. This levy was first approved in 1980 and has been approved every six years by Spokane voters.
The levy continues a 50-cent assessment per $1,000 of home value. In other words, a $100,000 home gets assessed $50 per year. Every Spokane firefighter pulls double duty as an EMT or paramedic. The EMS levy is the sole funding for up to 90 firefighters, well over a third of us.
Because this is a levy, just a simple majority saying yes will not be enough to assure the majority’s will. We need over 60 percent approval to continue the EMS levy and continue this current funding for the fire department. That’s why your vote is so important.
Thank you for your support in the past. Please vote yes for EMS today.
John Griffith
Firefighters Local 29
Spokane
Writing in support of Spokane’s firefighters
(Spokesman-Review Letter to the Editor; April 17, 2010)
I am writing to support the firefighters of Spokane City. They are here 24-7 for anything we need. It doesn’t matter what the problem is, they respond.
The fire service is no longer just for fires and EMS. They take care of any and all problems that arise for our citizens. Car wrecks, power line problems, wildland fires, ice storms, appliance problems, water problems, natural gas line breaks, hazmat, technical rescue, water rescue, animal rescue, teaching CPR and, yes, fires and EMS are only some of the reasons they respond. Basically, when people don’t know what to do and who to call, they call 911, because they know the fire department will respond, and be there in minutes, and take care of the problem.
It’s hard to believe that people don’t want to support our firefighters with a levy that only replaces the current one. Do they want to lessen the service that they get for a few bucks a month? I guess they are hoping that they won’t need the fire department so they want to save an amount that equals a few lattes.
Darci Fraser
Firefighters Local 29
Spokane