ARLINGTON — Emergency medical personnel serving in the Vietnam war figured it out. Injured soldiers who received immediate treatment in the field had a better chance of survival when they finally reached a hospital.
Today, people take emergency medical care for granted, said Barbara Tolbert, campaign spokeswoman for the Proposition 1 levy to support 24-hour emergency medical services provided by the Arlington Fire Department.
“We expect it, and I can’t think of a more essential service,” Tolbert said. “The other day I heard a little girl tell a fireman that the fire department had saved her grandpa’s life.”
Last approved by voters in 2004, the current property tax levy that supports EMS in the city is set to expire in 2011. This time around voters are being asked to renew the expiring levy and make it permanent.
On the November ballot, voters must decide whether to continue funding emergency medical services at the current collection rate of 50 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value. Under the proposed permanent levy, the rate would never go up, Tolbert said.
People with homes valued at $250,000 would expect to pay $125 a year for emergency medical services. A 60 percent majority is required to pass the levy.
“This is not a new levy. By making it permanent we save money in the long run,” Tolbert said. “One levy election can cost thousands of dollars that could otherwise be used to buy equipment and train our firefighters. And the need for EMS is never going away.”
Last year the Arlington Fire Department responded to more than 3,000 calls. About 80 percent of those calls were medically related. The number of calls rose about 12 percent in a period of two years, department officials said.
“The EMS levy will provide ongoing and stable funding for services,” said Tolbert, who is the director of the annual Arlington Fly-In. “Most fire districts in the county have permanent levies. It’s time for us to join them.”
There is no organized opposition to Proposition 1.
Proposition 1
For more information about Proposition 1 in Arlington, call the fire department at 360-403-3600.
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