By Jennifer Langston
Herald Writer
SNOHOMISH — Nearly two-thirds of the medical emergencies fielded by Fire District 4 that require paramedics occur within the city of Snohomish.
But because the fire district contracts with neighboring districts for paramedic services, the city has some of the slowest response times.
It can take between 13 and 17 minutes, gut-wrenching moments when your child’s throat is closing because of a bee sting or someone is in the throes of a heart attack.
That’s why the city and Snohomish Fire and Rescue are asking voters Tuesday to approve a levy that would enable the district to provide its own paramedic services.
Fire district officials estimate adding local paramedic units would cut average response times from between 10 and 15 minutes to less than six minutes.
Snohomish Fire and Rescue, which serves about 30,000 residents in an 80-square-mile area around Snohomish, is one of three fire districts in the county that doesn’t have its own paramedic units.
The district spends about $350,000 a year contracting with paramedics from other fire districts. But sometimes those neighboring units are tied up on other calls, District 4 Chief Rob Merritt said.
For instance, when a motorcyclist hit a pole on Lowell-Larimer Road last week, the closest available paramedics were in Monroe. It took them 26 minutes to arrive.
The special levy, which would be permanent and would not come before voters again, would replace a levy first passed in 1986 that funds basic emergency medical technician services.
But EMT firefighters cannot perform advanced medical procedures in the field, such as inserting intravenous lines or providing critical trauma care.
The proposed advanced life-support levy would cost residents 50 cents per $1,000 of property valuation, up 25 cents from the existing levy. That means a homeowner with a $180,000 home would see a $45 a year increase over what is paid now.
The levy must be approved by 60 percent of district residents. Last November a levy passed within the city but failed by a small margin in the larger fire district. That meant the entire proposal failed and had to be put before voters again.
You can call Herald Writer Jennifer Langston at 425-339-3452 or send e-mail to langston@heraldnet.com.
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