The proposed EMS/Fire Levy is a renewal of the Levy that is in place today. It is not a new tax and will not raise your annual bill from the county. For our family, the cost is less than $1 a day – quite a reasonable investment for the excellent 24/7 emergency service OIFR provides.

As a volunteer and taxpayer I have seen how costs have risen over the years. Since 1999, the cost of living has gone up 37 percent, EMS and Fire calls have increased by 119 percent, and the mandated regulations for Fire and EMS departments have grown substantially.

Over my years of service, there have been times I have questioned the direction of the department.  I am happy to say that under the current leadership, OIFR is improving in significant ways.  Chief O’Brien has worked hard in the first two years with OIFR to clean house, set a positive and professional tone, and attract many great new volunteers.  I look forward to continuing to work with him and the entire team of OIFR as we strive to improve our skills, policies and practices to best serve the community.  I greatly appreciate the due diligence and planning that has gone into this levy request and I encourage you to do the math for yourselves.  I suspect you will find OIFR and the levy request a good investment as well.

Hilary Canty

Orcas Island