The Real Impact on Our Emergency Services:

Our fire protection district is proud to serve every resident, every business, and every facility within our jurisdiction. That promise does not change based on who calls, how often, or how challenging the call may be. We respond—without hesitation—because that is the oath we took.

But we believe it is time to have an honest conversation about fairness, responsibility, and the future of emergency services in our community.

A small number of locations generate a large percentage of our calls, some of them for routine, non-emergency needs. Many of these locations do not contribute equally to the tax base that funds our personnel, training, equipment, and response. Yet when an emergency strikes anywhere in our 96.3-square-mile district, we are expected—and committed—to respond quickly, professionally, and fully prepared.

This imbalance creates strain. It stretches our resources, increases response times, placed additional wear & tear on equipment and risks leaving fewer units available when true emergencies occur. It places a heavier burden on our staff, who answer every alarm with professionalism, but who are human—and stretched.

Adding to this challenge, we are now seeing that over 50% of our emergency calls occur simultaneously with another active incident. When multiple emergencies happen at once, we must split our available personnel and equipment, which directly impacts on our ability to provide a full, immediate response to the next critical emergency. Time lost during these overlaps can mean the difference between life and death.

Compounding the situation further, a large percentage of our service demand comes from individuals over the age of fifty, a demographic that statistically requires more frequent emergency services. While we are proud to serve all ages, the high volume of non-emergency requests from this group, combined with the reality of simultaneous calls, poses a growing threat to the overall sustainability and responsiveness of our system.

We want to be clear: This is not about blame. It is about sustainability, and about respect—for the services we provide and the people who provide them.

Some in our community have raised strong objections to projects, policies, and decisions made in the name of public safety and readiness. We support your right to speak out. But we also ask for shared responsibility: to consider how services are utilized, how they are funded, and how we can ensure fair access and support for all.

If you are asking for transparency, we welcome that. But let us also ask:
• Who is overusing 911 for non-emergencies?
• Who is helping sustain the system financially—and who is not?
• How can we work together to make this system stronger, safer, and more just?

What is affecting the cost of our operations—and continues to be a major cost and concern—is the nationwide shortage of firefighter/paramedics. This labor shortage is driving up staffing costs across the board, making it more expensive to maintain the level of service our residents expect and deserve. We are working hard to manage these challenges while ensuring the safety of our community remains our top priority.

We serve without bias. But we believe service should be a partnership—not a one-way expectation.

Thank you for the continued opportunity to serve, and for the trust you place in us each day. We are here. We are listening. We need to seek solutions that benefit the entire community. We are only as good as we are all!