Mlk. Terrace to drop Medic 7

By KARL SCHWEIZER

Herald Writer

MOUNTLAKE TERRACE — Mountlake Terrace plans to dump Medic 7 and ask Snohomish County Fire District 1 to take over the city’s firefighter and paramedic service, city manager Connie Fessler said Thursday.

The move should put fully trained paramedics in the city and mean a faster response for residents who dial 911 in both the city and the district, which serves unincorporated south Snohomish County, officials from both agencies said.

It should also cost less than the $320,000 the city now pays to Medic 7, a paramedic agency based in Edmonds and Lynnwood that also serves Mountlake Terrace, Brier and Woodway, Fessler said.

But the departure of Mountlake Terrace from Medic 7 could leave Edmonds and Lynnwood paying more for paramedic service, to the tune of $400,000, if Brier, whose fire service is provided by Mountlake Terrace, also drops out, Edmonds Mayor Gary Haakenson said.

Haakenson asked Fessler to consider the effects on neighboring cities.

"Please address mutual and automatic aid so the citizens in south Snohomish County won’t feel that they are being abandoned," Haakenson said.

Fessler said Mountlake Terrace has been looking for ways to cut costs for emergency services, which typically consume the lion’s share of any city’s budget. He also said Initiative 695 budget cuts added urgency to the search.

The switch should cut costs and improve service, Mountlake Terrace acting fire chief Brad Reading said. That’s because the city will train its firefighters as paramedics using money it had paid to Medic 7, he said.

The city has no paramedics at its two fire stations, relying instead on the Medic 7 paramedics in Edmonds and Lynnwood. That will change as Mountlake Terrace adds nine paramedics through new hires and firefighter training, enough to have one on duty at each station at all times, Reading said.

Firefighter/paramedics can do many things that emergency medical technicians can’t, such as administer drugs, District 1 Fire Chief Jack McArthur said.

Paramedics also have far more training, about 1,200 hours compared with 110 hours, said Bob Eastman, firefighter/paramedic with District 1.

Talk to us

More in Local News

Marysville firefighters respond to a 12-year-old boy who fell down a well Tuesday May 30, 2023 in Marysville, Washington. (Photo provided by Marysville Fire District)
Marysville firefighters save boy who fell 20 feet into well

The 12-year-old child held himself up by grabbing on to a plastic pipe while firefighters worked to save him.

Highway 9 is set to be closed in both directions for a week as construction crews build a roundabout at the intersection with Vernon Road. (Washington State Department of Transportation)
Weeklong closure coming to Highway 9 section in Lake Stevens

Travelers should expect delays or find another way from Friday to Thursday between Highway 204 and Lundeen Parkway.

Students arriving off the bus get in line to score some waffles during a free pancake and waffle breakfast at Lowell Elementary School on Friday, May 26, 2023, in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
800 free pancakes at Everett’s Lowell Elementary feed the masses

The annual breakfast was started to connect the community and the school, as well as to get people to interact.

Marysville Mayor Jon Nehring speaks at the groundbreaking event for the I-5/SR 529 Interchange project on Tuesday, May 23, 2023 in Marysville, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
$123M project starting on Highway 529 interchange, I-5 HOV lane

A reader wondered why the highway had a lane closure despite not seeing work done. Crews were waiting on the weather.

Justin Bell was convicted earlier this month of first-degree assault for a December 2017 shooting outside a Value Village in Everett. (Caleb Hutton / Herald file)
Court: Snohomish County jurors’ opaque masks didn’t taint verdict

During the pandemic, Justin Bell, 32, went on trial for a shooting. Bell claims his right to an impartial jury was violated.

Gary Fontes uprights a tree that fell over in front of The Fontes Manor — a miniature handmade bed and breakfast — on Friday, May 12, 2023, at his home near Silver Lake in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Everett’s mini-Frank Lloyd Wright builds neighborhood of extra tiny homes

A tiny lighthouse, a spooky mansion and more: Gary Fontes’ miniature world of architectural wonders is one-twelfth the size of real life.

Will Steffener
Inslee appoints Steffener as Superior Court judge

Attorney Will Steffener will replace Snohomish County Superior Court Judge Janice Ellis, who is retiring in June.

Panelists from different areas of mental health care speak at the Herald Forum about mental health care on Wednesday, May 31, 2023 in Snohomish, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
At panel, mental health experts brainstorm answers to staff shortages

Workforce shortages, insurance coverage and crisis response were in focus at the Snohomish forum hosted by The Daily Herald.

Marysville
Police: Marysville man fist-bumped cop, exposing tattoos of wanted robber

The suspect told police he robbed three stores to pay off a drug debt. He’d just been released from federal prison for another armed robbery.

Most Read