This is for those who think privatization is the best possible concept…And if you still doubt it, please go to Arizona where many departments that used to be private when back to public for a multitude of reasons. Most notably…Cost.
Engineers: Most people don’t care about fire safety.
A recent survey and accompanying article by the Society for Fire Protection Engineers recently found that most Americans do not consider fire a threat when considering their overall risk. Even though fire risk in America far exceeds that of other disasters and also costs the most financial loss and lives, most Americans are oblivious to their every day danger in comparison.
Check out this brief article that sheds light on American’s misconceptions on fire risk and the need for fire safety planning and engineering.
Its about character and integrity.
Elections clearly bring out several sides to a person or a candidate…That is if you’re close enough and looking. The following letter is in addition to an up coming “Letter to the Editor” in The Olympian and is from a fire fighter who just happened to get “close enough”.
Some quick background is that all of the fire fighters/EMT’s at Lacey Fire District #3 would all give you a different response to the question of why the city council is upset with the fire district because “we don’t know”. Everything was fine for over 40 years and then one day we are accused of things that vary day to day and are clearly unsubstantiated. What is it? Why? What is the real issue? If you don’t like our chief or our commissioners, then we understand the politics, but when you lash out at fire fighters and public servants who are doing nothing wrong other than wear a uniform of service, then that speaks volumes about character and integrity.
I have attended dozen’s of meetings at the Lacey City Council and in other public venues, and I’ve always kept my mouth shut and listened. I’ve never challenged directly a council member or said anything personal or attacking to any of them. But after arriving at a public debate at Panorama City with city council members and challengers, I experience first hand that John Darby ignored me while I stood in front of him, greeted him, and then watched as he actively reached around me to shake someone else’s hand . My crime? I am a fire fighter, and how dare I belong to a group that doesn’t agree with him. Even though our group is predominantly Republican (nationally, this is true) and endorsed him in the past, speaks volumes about his character and integrity. We don’t have to like each other but as both being public servants, decorum, etiquette, and discipline should make the simple act of a hand shake and returning a greeting an automatic response. After that event, I now fully believe the following account of John Darby’s interaction with other fire fighters.
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At the recent Thurston County Fair while on duty and in uniform I and another Lacey Fire Fighter were publicly ridiculed by notable local political figures Scott Roberts and John Darby. Mr. Roberts is the head of the TCRP (Thurston County Republican Party). Mr. Darby is on the board of the TCRP, the Deputy Mayor of Lacey and running for re-election for Lacey City Council this fall. Lacey Professional Fire Fighters endorsed Darby a few years back, though are endorsing his opponent Andy Ryder this year due to Darby and the current city council’s complete lack of support for adequate public safety.
Roberts and Darby were working the TCRP food booth when we stopped by to order a meal. Roberts proceeded to taunt us by stating “Hey I bet Lacey will have a better fire department when you guys get a new city council!” Darby followed up by informing us that we were opposing him, stating “The Democrats booth is down there (finger pointing included).” We responded with no retaliatory comments only expressing that we hoped some sort of solution will be worked out. We then proceeded to leave.
It must be stated though that the level of hostility that we received from Scott Roberts and John Darby was unexpected, unacceptable, and unprofessional. About half of our members vote Republican and on a national scale nearly 60% of union fire fighters vote Republican. The IAFF makes more political contributions to Republican candidates than any other union in the country!
One would think that Roberts and Darby would take these facts into consideration and exhibit a high level of tact, customer service, maturity and professionalism when dealing with the public at TCRP events. Instead these two have sunken in joint political grandstanding against uniformed professionals and citizens a like. Such actions only alienate those who have supported them in the past and exhibits poor leadership and representation of the Republican Party.
I-1033. LFD3 Could Save the City.
If you happened to watch or attend the last Lacey City Council meeting, you would have heard Mayor Graeme Sackrison give a report on several issues. Some of these issues were quickly covered, such as Cynthia Pratt’s letter to the council rejecting the justification to “revitalize” the Lacey Gateway project, the 2010 Lacey city budget, or the impacts of citizen initiative I-1033. Graeme would not discuss the specific impacts, but he did say if you would like, please give the city a call and they’ll tell you what I-1033 means to Lacey.
Initiative 1033 is a Tim Eyeman initiative that says its intentions are to limit the growth and expenditures of state, county, and city governments. It does this by essentially taking the 2009 budget revenues and tying their increase to population growth and inflation. The desired outcome is that property taxes would drop when general fund revenues exceed this revenue limit, proportionally. So for example if the City of Lacey made a killing on local sales tax then property taxes for their residents would drop once the I-1033 formula revenue limit was hit. The idea is that simply most forms of government could not expand unless their voters approve it or that the size of government would be tied to consistent revenue performance.
I-1033 is going to pass. While some Western Washington County’s will not approve it, the statewide initiative will pass as it has traction with many voters who are landowner’s and have had enough of property tax volatility and perceived government waste. Especially as our population (voters) ages and the recent reduction of services is felt, the perception among many is that taxes are not being effectively spent on priorities. As fire fighters, we’ve seen this especially among these voters during the last election who have fixed budgets and are simply working at avoiding being taxed out of their homes; they can’t afford new taxes in any form.
Mayor Sackrison didn’t discuss I-1033 because the city of Lacey if going to take it in the shorts. The Mayor did offer that sales taxes are still down by an excess of 10% over last year during the meeting, but when you consider that the amount of growth the city has planned and the expanding needs of some of their programs, it paints a strong picture or question is how will they pay for growth of city government at past levels if the revenue values are limited? They won’t. Even Graeme warned that they are working at not laying people off in 2010.
Enter Lacey Fire District #3 into the equation that remains a separate entity from the city (god willing, forever) and happens to be exempt from I-1033. What? That’s a right, I-1033 exempt “junior taxing districts” such as county fire departments, medic one, and the Timberland Library. If the City of Lacey were to offer the voters a regional fire authority or especially annexation, it would nearly immediately resolve (at least for the short term) a lot of their budget issues. Further, it would help guarantee fire and life safety for the city residents for a long time to come because Lacey Fire District #3 would not be effected by I-1033 and is already limited to 1% annual growth plus new construction (with a limit there too). The city could immediately pocket funds that they would not have to pay fire protection for.
Fire district annexation is an immediate solution for the city’s budget woes without directly having to go to the voters for more taxes. Its also a strong reason that once all of the legal challenges are ironed out against I-1033 that you will see all sorts of municipalities unload their fire departments into direct voter managed entities such as fire districts and regional fire authority. I also would suggest that it’s a matter of time when you will see other entities such as police and other emergency management agencies work for legislative changes to become “junior taxing districts” where by their fate and function would not be tied to large scale bureaucracies that city governments have become.
As a parting thought when it comes to city budgets, lets also consider closed business tax revenue, decreases in assessed value of residential property, and the tax losses of all the foreclosed homes. Its not just about dropping sales tax; we’re on the cusp of some real serious budget issues in the city and the county.
Ron Lawson Campaign Kick Off on August 17th!
Lacey City Council Candidate Ron Lawson will be having a campaign kick off on August 17th at the Mayan Restaurant at 4520 Pacific Ave SE between 530pm and 7pm…Come hungry and bring a check book or three.
How Much Can We Cut?
I’ve just returned from fighting a major wildfire in Chelan that was nearly all fought using city and county fire department resources from around the state. In years past when I got started in 1994, the majority of these fires in the state never saw a county or city fire truck after the first attack of the fire; it was typically a state and federal fire fight. As the state cuts back (Dept. of Natural Resources) and the feds cut back too, the responsibility is being left more frequently at the feet of the local residents and their fire departments.
It wasn’t long ago that the building out at Marvin Road and Martin Way (now Costco and Home Depot) at the old Department of Natural Resources compound in Lacey that were built by the Citizen Conservation Corps (CCC) were bustling with fire engines, fire crews, and more that even lived or slept on site. That’s all gone now as forestry practices have changed, we replaced seasonal fire fighters with inmates for a while (they’ve been cut too), and we’ve relied on air power (helicopters) and more modern initial attack techniques to get the job done. Essentially doing more with less through science and at times luck.
What happens now? What happens when the state and federal resources are heavily taxed and a local fire breaks out? What happens when small town volunteer departments who may only have a few people around in the day all of sudden have a few acres burning and homes threatened? Will that volunteer fire department at 2 O’clock on workday have people who are qualified to state and federal standards of proficiency or will they just go out and randomly squirt water?
The answer in the short term is that many departments are helping each other out by responding to each other’s calls. For example, Lacey has been in Yelm several times in July simply because Yelm/Rainier fire districts are getting their butts kicked by multiple alarms. Its not just big fires but its been other things such as routine EMS calls, smoke investigations, or even coverage for additional alarms. And it’s not just Yelm/Rainier its everywhere, and for the record were not complaining we’re happy to go wherever and whenever.
Recently, we participated in a drill in which we simulated with Olympia, Tumwater, McClane/Black Lake, and East Olympia fire departments, a commercial warehouse fire at the old brewery in Tumwater. We found out that it took all of those departments to conduct just the initial attack and that we would draw resources from the entire county for the ongoing attack and likely would go out of county for resources…I mean really, we were dealing with an empty warehouse, what if our warehouse was filled with chemicals like in East Olympia, or paper products like Lacey and Olympia have, or any number issues in commercial buildings in the county. When the five o’clock news reports on a big King County fire that “50 fire fighters are battling a blaze in Tukwila…” that would be everything in our county!
This is a wake up call that most residents need to know, that the county fire fighting resources are a “mile wide and an inch deep”. We are aware of major fires in the county (for example) taking 24 minutes to get a fire engine to, or patients having heart attacks waiting, because the nearest resources are busy running calls and no close back up exists.
The decision to cut the emergency services levy lid lift measure in Tumwater is indirectly dangerous to every citizen in our county. And it highlights the fact that so many of the fire departments are understaffed is the tip of the iceberg to a much bigger problem countywide. City and town managers has become dependant on their neighbor for solving their own staffing and budget issue especially in emergency service. Here’s a question: what happens if politicians of one jurisdiction decides to start cutting off adjacent agencies for services in times of need? Here’s that answer, because the public isn’t informed and seemingly doesn’t care, it’s a matter of time before politicians make operational decisions regarding public safety (see Thurston County Sheriff or the Lacey Lacey City Council), and there isn’t a plan B other than screwing over the citizen. Of course, you don’t figure that out until you keep dialing 911 and asking, “what’s taking so long?”
Elections Matter
In the vacuum of declining media coverage, politicians have been left in some circles to their own devices. In the last few months, many a fire fighter has stood by and watched the Lacey City Council conduct meetings and workshops largely to an empty room and some of the discussion and topics seem to be more theatrical then actually discussing or working on issues at hand. The function of the Lacey City Council will be a topic for another day, or god willing, a moot point in weeks. But the concern today is about public involvement and interest…if no one is listening or being involved in the political process and we don’t provide input to our elected representatives, what happens?
Our organization, or “union” for the “Stereotypers”, used to only have moderate interest in elections. The hope was that “common sense” would prevail and that the decisions that came down or impacted our lives were transparent and well intentioned. For years we really didn’t collect money for campaigns, had a marginal interest in who was elected, and simply believed that public life safety would be a political priority…Wow, its amazing to look at our organization now and compare our past to our present thanks to the misguided intentions of just a few people at city hall.
We want to make it known, that whether we are a “union” or not, we are a group of people who have seen the light and understand that the irrational decisions of a few in the wrong places can ruin everything. Democracy is both a gift and a curse in that it is dependant on competent leadership and informed constituency. Leaving politicians to their devices and privacy in the “Taj-ma city hall” is over and that for ever we have a vested interest in making sure that the public is aware of the councils decisions and that we do our best to prevent those who do not prioritize safety and health institutions.
Undoubtedly, there are those who will be unhappy with our new found involvement in the political process, but what alternatives do we have? We have already found that the substitute process for informing the public in declining commercial media presence is ultimately going to be us and other “groups” like us now and in the future. We also believe that the changing political landscape in Thurston County will bring all new battlefields and perhaps a new level of political scrutiny that will rival anything we ever had before… All hail the little man with a computer, an Internet connection, and a political will.
Did you know that 3 more city council members are up for election in 2011? That’s like 100 weeks away for their respective campaigns…Time to start saving money.
Hey Everyone, Get On The Bus!
Hey Everyone, Get On The Bus!
The move of change and common sense is all head full and heading to “ramming speed”. Well funded, well supported, and tremendous grass roots support is fueling undoubtedly long needed change in Lacey…At least these candidates will actually answer questions and talk to you if you have a concern!
Get on board!
-Ron Lawson is having his kick off campaign on the night of August 5th at the Mayan Restaurant in “downtown” Lacey.
Ron Lawson’s campaigns web-site:
http://www.ronlawsonlacey6.com/
-Cynthia Pratt’s website is:
http://www.citizensforcynthia.com/
-Andy Ryder’s website is:
http://www.citizensforandyryder.org/
Please, get a sign, help them door bell, give till it hurts and then give more.
Ground Zero for the Medical Policy Debat is Lacey
Most of us look at the national policy debate that is taking place in the other Washington as just that…Another debate taking place in Washington DC. There are no immediately perceived impacts or believed solvency on any of the issues regarding medical care here in Lacey by the average citizen. And nothing can be further from the truth.
Day in and day out, Lacey Fire District responds to dozens of emergency medical calls where we find and treat patients with a broad spectrum of maladies. And there are few common themes we would like to point out that we are seeing every day in our own community:
-We are seeing more patients every year.
-We are seeing an increasingly older patient.
-We are seeing patients who are increasingly underinsured or have no insurance.
-We are seeing patients who can’t find primary medical care and thus rely on the emergency room.
-We are seeing longer emergency room wait times even though the area’s main emergency room is well over 4 times its original size from even a few years ago.
-We are seeing a shortage of medical care providers across the spectrum from doctors and nurses, to EMT’s and Paramedics that provide care in the field.
Those who don’t have a doctor or routine preventative care, are of age to be more prone to emergent medical care needs, or simply can’t find a doctor or care provider that will take Medicare or Medicaid, will at some point most likely be dialing 911. Why? Simply, because what’s left and what’s available? Those of us in Thurston County need to catch on that solutions to some of these issues may not be addressed at the national level but will require a solution at the local level.
A senior manager of Olympic Ambulance recently told me that they receive 18 cents on the billed dollar by Medicaid and the rest is either a loss or direct bill to the patient who most likely can’t afford it anyway. Discussions with other medical providers say that for the most part that they are cautious about taking Medicare patients because “they can take over a practice”, and that reimbursement amounts for Medicare mean that they typically take a loss or no profit for each Medicare patient seen. As a result, many local physicians are limiting their number of Medicare patients, leaving to other states or cities where Medicare patients are fewer, or they have chosen to retire early. Other avenues by local medical practices are that they increase the amount of patients seen each day reducing the time with a patient so that they can increase the numbers to make a profit. Is that then good care or are we wasting money?
Regardless, access to care is a local issue, and we can tell you that we are seeing patients on an increasing basis whose medical conditions are preventable and chronic and who turn to the local fire department as the final choice for primary care. So it comes to this, ground zero of the medical care crisis is as much about the inner cities, to rural America, to the Indian Reservations, to right here on Lacey’s streets. So when you see a fire truck in Lacey, understand that it is a licensed emergency medical vehicle with the State of Washington and its as much a “soldier” in providing health care as doctor in a private office…Except we try to see you minutes instead of making an appointment.
A View From The Cheap Seats
Like a segment in a Tom Clancy novel discussing intelligence and especially counter-intelligence, it’s entertaining to watch the city/district pass messages and posturing through meetings, media, and rumor. The most recent series of quotes from one local media source, Ken Balsley’s web site, from the city manager saying that the contract is back on the table is surprising news. Is this any way to negotiate and manage…by making unilateral decisions without input from anyone?
Over a year ago, I recall listening to mayor Sackrison at one of the last city/district meetings saying that this (the crisis or contract impasse) was about “money and control”. Not about service, not about response, not about quality or content…So what did “money or control” mean?
In the months that followed, city manager Greg Cuoio would stand and say that “we (the city) can do it better and cheaper” if the city formed a fire department. Which has been redacted recently at a consultants presentation in which the city pointed out that they could do it maybe for ”as cheap or a little bit more” but not for what was originally promised. Further, the price figure offered by the city for a future fire district contract was self generated and never a figure the fire district generated.
So now we are left with the concept of control. The city has contended that they want to control the contractor/fire district, not the level of service, but staffing. In past arguments, this was to keep station 35 open at the expense of other areas in the city but most importantly at the expense of county residents. So if you “rob Peter to pay Paul” (a Blaine Martin, city financial manager quote), everything is ok in the eyes of the mayor and manager? The fire district can’t do that. You can’t be elected as a fire commissioner for the fire district to do a job for the county taxpayers who own the organization, and then abdicate control to individuals (the city) who have no vested interest in the “company’s owners” needs and assets.
So our answer sitting from the bleachers is that this would be irresponsible if not dangerous to give control of staffing and the distribution to Sackrison and Cuoio who have no fire service background, and most importantly won’t even talk to their constituents or the fire fighters to get the information necessary in making these decisions. Ironically, the city has already been given the option to have control or at least voting influence in something called a Regional Fire Authority, which not only could be written to give them or at least directly voted representation from the city, but the opportunity to vote and have some manner of influence. Further, when the city’s budget revenue is still off by 13% and this has been offered as an out to dramatically help (like millions of dollars) the city’s budget, then we gotta wonder why you’re still saying “no” other than you don’t understand the choices and consequences.
Whatever, 123 days until Election Day and then perhaps these problems will be solved.