VIFR Board of Commissioners Candidate Brigitte Schran Brown | Fiscal, natural disaster preparedness necessary for Vashon Island Fire & Rescue

The recent candidate debates focused mostly on school board and park district races and issues. With that in mind, The Beachcomber invited the two candidates vying for a spot on the fire board to submit commentaries for this issue of the paper. See the Community section of The Beachcomber’s website for additional candidate statements from other local boards.

October 6, 2015 3:06 pm

By Brigitte Schran Brown

I’m a 12-year veteran volunteer emergency medical technician (EMT) with Vashon Island Fire & Rescue (VIFR). I served our island in the 1980s and 90s, paused to raise my family here on Vashon, then returned four years ago — and I love it.

VIFR is unlike any King County department; we serve a rural, isolated community with metropolitan expectations.

I “get” this department and its unique needs from the ground up because I’m in the trenches with the men and women who protect our island — and they are some of the finest EMTs, firefighters and medics in the state.

In the four years since I returned, the department has awarded me the Helgesson Community Service award, the EMS Service Award and the Chief’s Award. These show the depths of my commitment to VIFR and our community. Most importantly, I have the respect and endorsement of Vashon’s volunteer and career EMTs, firefighters and medics.

I’m serving on the 2015 Strategic Planning Oversight Team (SPOT): a diverse group of islanders tasked with compiling an overview of VIFR’s assets, liabilities and needs. This overview will be presented to our community, so together we can make informed decisions about VIFR’s future.

SPOT found we are facing some tough hurdles. This decade our fire, EMS, marine call volume and expenses have risen dramatically, but our revenues haven’t kept pace. We haven’t increased taxes since 1998 and are facing additional loss of municipal revenues. As a community, we must determine how to close this widening gap while meeting the demands of increasing call volumes and a crumbling infrastructure. Four out of six of VIFR’s buildings are unusable, and many VIFR vehicles are reaching the end of their usable lives. We also must prepare for natural disasters such as storms, landslides, wildfires, earthquakes or multi-casualty accidents.

I believe there are several ways to meet these needs. Besides honest discussion and evaluation of revenues, we need to continue to work closely with groups like VashonBePrepared, Emergency Operations Center and neighborhood CERTs.

I’m also a good fiscal problem solver. For example, this year VIFR was facing the mandatory retirement of our self-contained breathing apparatus — respirators, without which firefighters can’t fight structure fires. There was no budget for these items. So fellow EMT/firefighter Ben Davidson and I wrote, and were awarded, a $307,000 grant to replace these critical items.

Additionally, we need to increase our on-island volunteer reserves. I’m already working with our new retention and recruitment coordinator, Ross Copland, on this. We’ve implemented some great ideas like expanded administrative support, better outreach, family involvement and morale boosting, and we’re succeeding. I plan to keep that momentum going.

And there is the issue of our medics being “absorbed” into South King County Medic One.  Medic One is one of the finest programs in the nation. Our medics comply with Medic One rules and requirements, and we are still in negotiations about the details of the transfer. I do have concerns about possible reduction in our number of on-duty firefighters and the risk of leaving our island without medics if VIFR must follow a mandate requiring two medics to transport patients off-island. These issues are being addressed, and it’s critical that we not suffer any denigration in service. Ensuring this is high on my priorities list.

In 2012-2014, a compilation of research revealed some disturbing facts:

• 95 percent of Vashon’s 52-mile shoreline is at risk of major landslides.

• Since the 1930s, about 40 Vashon homes have slid into Puget Sound.

• 75 percent of our beachfront communities have no fire hydrants.

• Almost all waterfront communities have single road access only, and are too steep or narrow for our fire-trucks — and we have multiple walk-in only communities.

• Our marine rescue call volume has increased to over 30 calls per year.

• Our risk of wildfire is far greater than we’ve realized.

Dealing with these issues are some of the hurdles we must face, and I have some excellent ideas —and possible resources for meeting these needs.

I’m an islander. I raised my family here, and my husband Mike and I will be retiring here. I’m a local business owner, homeowner and taxpayer. I worked in a local clinic and volunteer in multiple capacities. I currently work for a local medical education foundation. I love our island community.

I’m the choice of VIFR EMTs, firefighters and medics for a reason. My goal is to have our 911 calls answered by the best-trained, most competent and compassionate providers possible and with the tools they need to take care of whatever the situation demands.

Thank you for your support in helping me work toward a fiscally secure and safe future that serves to meet our unique island’s protection needs.

 

— Brigitte Schran Brown is running for Position 3 on the Vashon Island Fire & Rescue board of commissioners.