INSIDE

District could use a little input
from the public, says fire chief

By Meg Olson

“This year it’s never saved a life. It’s never saved a building. Is this money well spent?”

Point Roberts fire chief Bill Skinner is asking commissioners to review the Car 510 quick response vehicle program.

At their September 14 meeting Skinner told board members that the vehicle is staffed primarily in the evening, with volunteer John Shields putting in the bulk of hours. Since commissioners agreed to pay volunteers a stipend of $4 per hour to boost hours the vehicle was manned, Skinner said the cost of manning Car 510 has now reached over $1,500 each month. “How much more would it cost us to hire a full-time firefighter?” he asked.

Skinner speculated if another employee was added it might be better to hire them in an administrative role so they could still respond to emergency calls as a volunteer the way Skinner and deputy chief Nick Kiniski do. “I see someone who would assist in the office, do inventory, some maintenance, pre-incident planning with businesses,” he said.
As a volunteer, that person would then be available to respond to calls during daytime hours when volunteers are scarce, and with Skinner or Kiniski at the station part-time the likelihood of having the two emergency medical technicians needed for ambulance transport would be increased. This is of growing concern, Skinner said, as the district will have sole responsibility for basic life support transport under the new Whatcom County emergency medical system that will be in place in 2006.

Commissioners could consider reducing costs by having Car 510 remain at the fire station overnight, Skinner said, and the first person to respond would pick it up there. “Our night time calls are down,” he said. However, in the event someone suffers a heart attack and needs a defibrillator, that scenario could cost precious minutes.

“Where is the best place to spend our limited resources,” Skinner asked, “having someone here in the day doing what isn’t getting done now, or filling the function of getting someone that defibrillator for the one or two calls a year of that nature?” Commissioners asked Skinner to put together information on alternatives so they could continue the discussion at their October 12 meeting.

Skinner is hoping the community will give commissioners some direction. “I wish more people would come to our meetings or send a letter,” he said. “We’re kind of operating in a vacuum.”