Thank you, Vashon, for the hundreds of discussions that we had this past weekend at the Vashon Island Fire & Rescue public education and fire prevention booth. What a great tradition our community has in the Strawberry Festival. I am fortunate to have the honor to serve the island as your Fire Chief!

Naturally, many people wanted to talk about the ballots you’ve just received in the mail. Several of you asked me about the real facts about our investments in public safety on Vashon. Here’s the most important action that you can take: Vote in this crucial election. The deadline to return ballots is August 1.

Many of the questions this past weekend had common themes, so I will tackle a few of them here.

Not a New Tax

The VIFR regular fire levy lid-lift on your August 1 ballot is not a new tax. Instead, the lid lift restores the property tax rate the community approved six years ago with 65% of the vote. The 2017 levy lid-lift brought the fire district back from the brink of bankruptcy. However, it did not address the many significant staffing, facility, and equipment issues that the district continues to face today.

As many know, the renewed levy rate will help us execute the comprehensive, data-driven strategic plan that was developed over the past eight months in collaboration with our staff, our Commissioners, VashonBePrepared, and many community leaders.

If the restoration of the property tax rate is approved, we will immediately begin to implement critical investments that were identified in our agency evaluation and are spelled out in our strategic plan — investments that will reduce response times and lower fire insurance premiums.

Increase 24/7 Firefighter/EMT Staff and Open the Burton Fire Station

VIFR will staff and open the Burton Fire Station on November 1.

Opening the Burton station will provide the island with a much-needed, staffed fire engine and aid car from a central location, reducing response times and preventing an impending increase in fire insurance premiums in the Burton area, west to Wax Orchard, south to Tahlequah, and east to Maury Island (see maps on vifr.org). Response times for south Vashon and Maury Island will be significantly reduced.

Increasing staffing island-wide will finally put VIFR in compliance with Washington State firefighter safety laws and will provide much-needed staffing to respond to the over 250 simultaneous 911 calls that we receive annually.

Replace Old, Obsolete Fire Engines and Ambulances

Our fire apparatus fleet is the oldest in King County, with an average age of 19.5 years. The apparatus is costly to repair and replace. It is critical to the safety of the island that we have modern and reliable equipment that won’t break down during the 1600+ emergency responses that we respond to annually. If the levy renewal is approved, we will begin the process of purchasing six essential emergency vehicles. Our immediate needs are to replace two 23-year-old fire engines, a 27-year-old brush truck, a 26-year-old rescue truck, and two ambulances that, combined, have over 200,000 miles of emergency medical response and transport service and are in dire need of replacement.

Invest in VIFR Firefighters, EMTs, and Support Members

The most important resources that we have are the outstanding VIFR firefighters, EMTs, and support members who respond to your emergencies around the clock, 365 days a year. I’ve said since my first day at VIFR, our staff and members are highly skilled, hard-working, and dedicated public safety professionals — we just need more of them.

Our team deserves to have what they need to give you the best possible service. That means training, improved personal protective equipment, modern tools, and adequate facilities to carry out our critical mission to protect your health and property. If the levy is approved, we will modernize our equipment, provide much-needed staffing, and further invest in the health and safety of our team at VIFR.

The emergency services that we provide on Vashon are time-critical, highly technical, and labor-intensive, and the levy lid-lift that you will be considering on your primary ballot will support our mission-driven initiatives.

Serving as your fire chief and leading the women and men of Vashon Fire and Rescue has been the highlight of my 29 years in the fire service. I am asking you to participate in our democracy and vote on or before August 1.

I welcome your questions at mvinci@vifr.org or 206-463-2405.

Matt Vinci is Vashon’s Fire Chief.