As a past chair of a fire and rescue district board, I urge support of the ballot measure that resolves the matter of the consolidation of the city of Port Townsend into the Jefferson County Fire and Rescue District.
This measure makes sense on a number of levels.
It makes fiscal sense by bringing the funding from Port Townsend up to par with that provided by the member districts in the county portion of a newly reorganized district.
It restructures representation by expanding the board from three to five members.
The two current non-voting advisory representative positions from Port Townsend will be replaced by two commissioners residing in the city.
Two elected commissioners will represent the rural portion of the district outside Port Townsend.
One commissioner will be elected at large.
Combined infrastructure, equipment and staffing can create an economy of scale that lowers the need for duplication of costs.
That factor matters.
But what really matters is that this measure can provide for a higher level of service.
Experienced, highly trained staff housed in a number of locations with access to equipment that will allow personnel to provide a variety of emergency services that protect both life and property is what this is really about.
Please vote yes.
Dave Woodruff,
Port Townsend