Ballots are soon to arrive in the mail for the Aug. 1 election. As always, we urge our readers to participate in democracy every chance they get, because elections have consequences.

And the consequences could hardly be greater when it comes to one choice you will have on your ballot. We’re talking, of course, about Proposition 1 — Vashon Island Fire & Rescue’s request for a property tax “levy lid lift.”

The levy is about dollars, of course, but more importantly, it is also about what we truly value as a community — our lives, our homes, and the health and safety of our first responders. How do you put a price tag on that?

By now, you probably know that the lid lift would allow the district to increase its levy rate from its current $1.13 per $1,000 of assessed value to $1.50.

Through 2029, the district could increase its property tax collections by another 6 percent each year, though never exceeding the $1.50 per $1,000 assessed value cap.

We won’t sugarcoat this, or spin: that means that for typical Vashon homeowners, the portion of their property tax that goes to VIFR will increase by about 17% next year.

But all of that revenue — every penny — will go to support and enhance the life and property-saving operations of the emergency services on Vashon.

The island last said “yes” to a levy lid lift, at the same $1.50 rate, when the district teetered on bankruptcy in 2017.

Now, it needs to say yes again, to save the district from a backward slide after truly remarkable progress has been made in its operations in the past year.

Blink, and time passes, but it was only 12 months ago that Fire Chief Matt Vinci stepped into his job after the departure of the former chief, Charles Krimmert.

Krimmert, in his tenure, had ably rebuilt the district’s reserves after the passage of the 2017 levy lid lift — reserves that are vitally important to the district, given the enormous cost of replacing and repairing fire service equipment and facilities.

His partnership with VashonBePrepared also set the island up for its tremendous success in meeting the extreme challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.

But Krimmert’s plan to supplement career staffing with a rotating part-time paid staff didn’t work out, nor did his idea to staff the Burton fire station with off-island volunteers.

Burnout was high and morale was rock bottom, with staffing eroded to only six uniformed career firefighters at one point last year, due to resignations, retirements, and vacancies.

What’s more, exchanges between staff, commissioners, and the fire chief at commissioner meetings had all too often become confrontational if not openly hostile.

The district clearly needed new leadership.

Vinci, a seasoned fire service professional from the East Coast, was the new guy in town, but he instantly grasped what his staff and volunteers have always known: Vashon is on its own when it comes to fire protection and emergency medical care, with mutual aid from other fire districts more than an hour away by ferry.

He knew the danger to both the public and VIFR career and staff members posed by VIFR’s staffing crisis and worn-out fleet.

He became a man with a mission, and in only one year, he’s made remarkable progress to professionalize the district, repopulate and restore morale to its ranks, and, with the input of a professional consultancy and community members, forge an arching new strategic plan to further improve the district in the coming years.

Part of that plan is a vital new partnership with Mobile Integrated Health — a county-wide program already funded by King County’s EMS Levy that will enable VIFR to provide additional resources, including home visits, for the most vulnerable residents on Vashon.

And Vinci, his staff, and commissioners continue to seek grants to bring additional funding and equipment to the district.

So is a levy lid lift absolutely necessary?

The naysayers say VIFR is fine, and you should follow their example and vote no.

They’ve been quick to suggest alternative staffing schemes, devise “gotcha” calculations that suit their narratives, and cherry-pick statistics from surveys conducted with staff and islanders during the strategic planning process to suggest that increased tax revenue isn’t needed.

But the “No” committee members’ complete inexperience in the complex field of fire and emergency service, and their lack of insight, shows.

Early on, they suggested that VIFR has no need to increase staff because two King County Medic One first responders, assigned to VIFR, respond to advanced life support calls.

That argument dried up when fire service and medical professionals pointed out that seven first responders are needed to staff one advanced life support event.

Not understanding the requirements and costs to adequately train and retain volunteer firefighters, the “no” committee has repeatedly called for VIFR to increase volunteerism — all the while ignoring the fact that Vashon’s current level of volunteerism is actually above the national average, given the island’s median age of 54.

They’ve also suggested that the district borrow money to pay for new apparatus or put forward a different costly ballot measure, asking voters to approve a bond measure to buy equipment, rather than approve the levy lift.

But having covered the district closely in recent years, and having listened to the fire service and medical experts who are backing the lid lift, we disagree.

The lid lift is our chance to complete the district’s recovery from the financial meltdown it faced in 2017, and the crisis in staffing that ensued in 2021 and 2022. The right leadership is now finally in place to do just that.

On an island without urgent care or an emergency room, the levy is needed for the district to better serve low-income and other high-risk islanders who lack access to health care. Really, it is needed for all of us since VIFR is our only 24/7 emergency medical response.

It is absolutely needed to fully staff the Burton Fire Station — despite the “No” committee’s current staffing scheme that says one firefighter could be shifted from Station 55 to staff Burton and solve the problem.

Dedicating appropriate staff to Burton, of course, has another benefit — it would halve response time to much of the island’s south end, and also potentially save south-end residents from big price hikes to their home insurance, following a certain downgrade in their fire ratings set by the state’s rating board if the station remains unstaffed.

The levy is needed for you and for your friends and neighbors down the street, and all the islanders you don’t even know who may, someday, desperately dial 9-1-1.

And this levy is also about protecting the health and safety of those who day after day answer those calls, saving lives and property — our brave and tireless first responders. Their service to this community is beyond measure.

Vote yes for Proposition 1.