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EMS LEVY PROPOSITION No. 1 Bainbridge Island Fire Department
Kitsap County, Washington
The Board of Commissioners of the Bainbridge Island Fire Department adopted Resolution #17-2009 concerning a proposition to impose an emergency medical services property tax levy. This proposition would authorize the Board of Commissioners to fund emergency medical services for its citizens by imposing a regular property tax levy of $.40 per $1,000.00 of assessed valuation for a period of ten consecutive years beginning in 2009 for collection in 2010.
Should this proposition be enacted into law? (Pursuant to RCW 84.52.069 and BIFD Resolution No. 17-2009)
The Request
The Bainbridge Island Fire Department is asking the public to approve a November 2009 General Election ballot measure to enact an EMS Levy. The EMS Levy would be for a maximum of $0.40 per $1,000 of assessed valuation, for a period of 10 years. For a property owner with an assessed valuation of $500,000, the increase in taxes for emergency medical services would be a maximum of $200 per year or $16.67 per month.
The History of the Decision
The Department does not, nor has ever had, an EMS levy. The growth of Island’s population, the increase in emergency calls, the decrease in the volunteer membership emergency responses, and the taxing limitations created by Initiative 747 in 2001 have all played a role in creating the situation at hand where current revenues do not provide funding to adequately serve Bainbridge Island. In fact, the Department has been openly communicating its expected funding need since 2003. At that time, the need for a levy request was expected in as early as 2006. By asking for a temporary levy lid lift to fund necessary apparatus replacements, the Department was able to postpone the need for general operating revenues a few more years. (Read more about the financial history and projections by clicking here.) Over the past few years, at Board meetings held twice a month and during annual budget hearings, the Department has candidly discussed its financial situation and projected funding needs (click here to view the current 10-year plan). One of the goals of the 20-month strategic planning process was to create a plan that would address both the service level deficiencies and financial needs of the Department.
The Department has been working for 20 months on creating a strategic plan to address a number of issues, including: service level expectations and goals, training requirements, and personnel needs. (Read the Board-approved Strategic Plan by clicking here.) This research has provided the Department with insight into where service-level weaknesses are, and ways the Department can provide necessary emergency services through a continued combination career and volunteer member model. The Purpose
The Department will use the EMS Levy revenues to provide continued and expanded emergency medical services, equipment and supplies. Many Bainbridge Island citizens are unaware that both the North and South end stations (Station 23 on Phelps Road and Station 22 on Bucklin Hill Road respectively) are not staffed daily. This funding will allow the Department to continue to provide the basic and advanced life support services we currently provide, and expand the services to include staffing at all three stations.
The current levels of coverage are not adequate. For a population of over 23,000 people in 28 square miles, who have nearly 2,700 emergency calls per year, 1 station and a minimum of 4 responders is not adequate. In fact, the Department is currently not meeting nationally-recognized response time standards due to the low staffing levels. This EMS levy request is to bring the Department closer to meeting the minimum standards necessary to meet State and nationally recognized standards for emergency responses. The EMS levy will not provide “extra” or “unnecessary” staffing. In order to respond to many areas on the Island in the ideal five-minutes or less, emergency responders need to be strategically located in areas that will allow for this timely response. A timely response ensures that basic life support interventions can be administered that can positively affect the outcome of a medical emergency. Currently, the Department has three stations, each of which has the responsibility of a response zone. Because the Department only has the guaranteed personnel to staff Station 21, the north and south end stations and response zones are not usually covered, resulting in longer duration response times. The Importance of Time
The importance of a timely response to any emergency cannot be overstated. For a cardiac arrest, the ability for a BLS response team to respond within 5 minutes to the emergency and provide life-saving medical interventions while awaiting the arrival of a Paramedic could mean the difference in the outcome of the emergency – as brain death can occur in as few as 4 to 6 minutes according to the American Heart Association. The Department’s intent is to provide reasonable minimum coverage throughout the Island – coverage that will help the Department to respond to 90% of all medical emergencies in 5 minutes or less.
Safety and the Law The Department wants to ensure the citizens of Bainbridge Island receive emergency responses in accordance with national standards, State law, and the community service level you expect. In order to do this, additional staffing is required. For many years, the Department has balanced multiple calls with minimal personnel by sending one or two members on an emergency response. Not only is this unsafe, but it does not provide the standard of care expected of an EMS agency. Approval of the EMS levy will ensure that personnel are available to provide primary emergency care in a safe manner. (Read more about the process of determining compliance with State law and national standards by reading the Board-approved Strategic Plan by clicking here.) More Questions? Read our EMS Levy Frequently Asked Questions by clicking here. Contact us during business hours at (206) 842-7686. Referenced Documents Strategic Plan 10-Year Financial Projections Financial History and Plan |
