QUILCENE — The Quilcene Fire District will ask voters to approve a six-year emergency medical services levy on the April 26 special election ballot.
The levy is to take over funding of new positions once a grant that has funded them expires.
“The new firefighters give us the opportunity to create a greater level of service with a two-year grant,” said Deputy Chief Don Svetich of Jefferson County Fire District No. 2.
“The EMS levy will allow us to keep the new firefighters once the grant expires.”
Three firefighters — Lieutenant/EMT Mark McCrehin and Lieutenant/EMT Kevin Winn, both of Quilcene, and Firefighter/Paramedic Jess Godsalve of Poulsbo — started on the job Jan. 4.
All worked as volunteers for at least one year prior to hiring.
The new hires were made possible with the awarding of a $396,000 Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and Department of Homeland Security.
The proposed property tax levy would begin in 2017 and collect 50 cents per $1,000 assessed property value for an annual revenue of about $165,000, or $100 assessed for property valued at $200,000.
Svetich said the new firefighters will increase the strength of the department in two ways: by bringing their skills and by training volunteer firefighters.
“This will give us a better quality of service for a longer period of time,” Svetich said.
Three-fourths of Quilcene residents are 65 or older, said Chief Larry Carp, so emergency medical response needs are both substantial and growing each year.
Emergency calls have increased more than 40 percent throughout the past two years, he said.
Quilcene is the only fire district in Jefferson County that does not currently have an emergency medical service levy, Karp said.
He added that, even with passage of the proposed levy, the district’s total levy rates would remain the lowest in the county.
“Years ago, there was a huge number of firefighters or EMTs who came running when there was a call for help,” Karp said.
“That’s not the response we get today. Our community is aging and those who do volunteer have so many other family obligations and activities.”
The levy will be part of the all-mail April 26 election for which ballots are to be mailed April 6.
There are 1,427 active registered voters in the Quilcene Fire District, according to the Jefferson County Auditor’s office.
For more information, go to www.qvfd.org or call 360-765-3333.
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Jefferson County Editor Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or cbermant@peninsuladailynews.com.
