School Board passes measure of support for Fire Prop. 1
On Tuesday the School Board unanimously approved a resolution in support of Maple Valley Fire & Life Safety’s Proposition No. 1 Levy Lid Lift measure. The school board seldom endorses ballot measures but decided to do so because the fire levy directly affects student and staff safety.
“If we need them, we’re going to call them and we want them to be ready,” Board Member Didem Pierson said, referring to Maple Valley Fire and Life Safety firefighters and emergency medical personnel.
The resolution approved by the board said, in part: “… In the judgment of the Board of Fire Commissioners of Maple Valley Fire & Life Safety District 43, it is essential for the protection of the public health, safety, life, and property of the citizens and the residents of the (fire) district that minimum service levels of fire and emergency medical services be maintained.”
The fire levy that is on the November ballot is not the same as the proposed change in August, which called for a different funding mechanism. This proposition is a levy lid lift replacement measure. It calls for a tax of $1.50 per $1,000 assessed valuation. The last time the department passed a levy lid lift was in 2006.
The department is at a minimum staffing level of seven firefighters, which last happened in 1993. Since the recession in 2008, the department has lost several staffing positions through attrition, which have not been replaced. Costs have been cut in several other ways, including canceling CPR classes and the department’s annual open house and community education program to inform residents and children about fire safety. Administrators are looking into other possible cost-saving measures, such as contracting for fire services and contracting for fleet services.
To learn more in a narrated presentation about the need for the measure from Fire Chief Aaron Tyerman, click here: https://www.maplevalleyfire.org/maple-valley-fire/chiefs-corner-october-2017/
Or, Tyerman can be reached by email at chief@maplevalleyfire.org with any questions.
