Fireside Chat with Chief Carleton

As this year ends and a new year begins, I wanted to extend my sincere wishes of happiness, love and good health for you, your families and friends.
Public
Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas to all! Many of us can say that it seems the years pass by faster and faster even though the time on our watch ticks along at the same steady pace.
Service
After having a record year for requests of service, we move into a new year full of aspirations. Due to an unfortunate collision in Canada that involved the newest of our two ambulances, the district had to purchase a new ambulance sooner than planned. This new vehicle will bring state-of-the-art transport for those needing to be seen at the hospital. This still leaves the oldest ambulance (1991) in service and the replacement of this unit will be further discussed in the new year.
The district has several members that will be improving their skill sets and completing EMT and Advanced EMT training. Advanced EMT training takes approximately six months beyond basic EMT and brings advanced abilities in patient care. I am working with our medical oversight team to allow these individuals to administer epinephrine during cardiac arrest events which is only currently provided by Paramedics in our system. This will be a great addition to our mission of doing everything we can to save lives.
I have submitted two applications to FEMA through the Assistance to Firefighters Grants program. One grant, worth $900,000 to replace the district’s 34-year-old fire truck, and a second for three training seminars covering Mayday (firefighter needs help), large building fires and thermal imaging use. The three seminars along with 15 command training positions total almost $70,000.
We hope to hear sometime in the late first or early second quarter of 2025 if we are awarded. We are also moving to a new website platform that will meet the new ADA federal requirements coming up. The new platform will allow for easier public navigation and administrative functions. We look forward to this opportunity to provide even more
transparency.
Community
Having lived in Kansas, Missouri, South Dakota, Colorado and now in Washington, comes with a great deal of life experience and memories. I am now just starting to travel abroad and experience land and cultures I have never had the pleasure of knowing. I went through high school in Westcliffe, Colorado and graduated with a class of just over 20. It was incredible to have that experience and education. It was a farming community of around 2,000 at the time, nestled in the valley of the Sangre de Cristo Mountain Range. We went to school four days a week believe it or not, giving us Fridays off along with the weekend. It brings me back to where I live now, Point Roberts; a small community nestled between Canada and the United States, where we know most by first name, enjoy safety that most don’t have, are able to look at water daily, have eagles soaring overhead, abundant wildlife, a community that truly comes together and neighbors that will provide you a cup of tea when you least expect it. I guess what I am trying to get at is, we often forget the blessings we have in front of us and get lost in the hustle of daily struggles and the expectations of others. Of course, most of us must work, but it is never too late to see and remember the blessings you have, regardless of size, that are all around you especially the people that are close to you. Your house is the dream of the homeless, your clothes are the dream of the naked and your health is the dream of the sick.
Take time in your coming days to say hello to a stranger, give when you can, and call a distant family member or friend. It can and does change lives.
Grace to all of you – We will see each other soon!
Reminder: If you are using a cell phone here in Point Roberts, please consider calling 360/676-6911 to reach “911”. Continue to dial 911 from a landline. The reason for cell phone consideration is that a person trying to make a 911 call within our community may be attached to a cell provider in Canada and thus be routed to Canada’s emergency system.
Safety tips: visit: nfpa.org/Public-Education for safety information on fires, household alarms, heating and more.