I have been a volunteer firefighter with OIFR for the past 10 years and although this may seem a long time, with many hours dedicated to training and to helping my neighbors in distress, I am a relative newbie in comparison to some of our equipment! …at 30 years old, our main fire engine is way past its sell-by date, and I’m reaching out to you all for a relatively small amount of assistance with this problem.

Our department has been through hard times with a lot of criticism in the past few years and many accusations of mismanagement. There have been years of deferred equipment needs and urgent facility repairs and we lost about half of our professionally trained volunteers due to strife and infighting in the department. No secrets, here, just look at past articles in The Sounder! And you may recall Fire Commissioners meetings that were packed with angry citizens, standing room only!

But through the dedication of our community we managed to turn it around and I would like to thank our current board: Karen Guice, Randy Gaylord, Kate Hansen and Darby Britt, eloquently led by the chair Brian Ehrmantraut, who have all done an outstanding job of diligently untangling and straightening out a fiasco, and giving us an organization that we can all be immensely proud of today. Last time I went to a Commissioners meeting there were only two other people from the public, one of them being Brian’s mother, and she certainly wasn’t there to complain!

The board’s selection of Chad Kimple as our chief has long been a dream of mine (and of many other volunteers). When our hearts are racing during a medical emergency, automobile accident, structure or wildland fire, and we hear his calm, authoritative voice on the radio, our heart rate immediately drops by 20%! With his knowledge of our island, his administrative background and the fact that he joined the department while still in high school, I truly believe we finally have the right person for this job on Orcas Island.

Many of the volunteers who left the department have returned to the ranks since our new Chief was sworn in, and with the current leadership and dedicated personnel we are once again prepared to serve our community. But we do so at risk to ourselves and the people we are committed to protect, due to lack of finances for our aging equipment. Years of experience may be a huge benefit when it comes to personnel, but it is obviously a huge detriment when it comes to equipment!

Voting “YES” on Proposition No. 1 will cost you around $ 22.00 per month “per million on property evaluation,” and it will give us what we need to keep ourselves and our neighbours safe.

This is about the same price as a quarter bag of groceries at the Island Market! …and pittance compared to the increase in our premiums when the insurance companies evaluate their risk based on the state of our fire department’s equipment, amongst other things.

Now I realize that many establishments are currently asking for more of our tax dollars, but I feel that this is the one that we should not complain about or ignore, so I’m asking you to please think about this when you look at that ballot envelope lying unopened on the table. This is for a bond, so we need a 60% approval! Every ballot left untouched will count against the safety of your diligent volunteers and impact your home insurance. Please open your ballots, mark the “YES” box on Proposition No. 1 and make sure to return it in time, and please encourage your friends and neighbors to do the same.

I thank you from the depths of my heart.

Firefighter Shaun Pritchard

Orcas Island