Newman Lake Fire & Rescue EMS Levy is up for renewal in February. This is not a new tax, but a renewal of an existing tax.
*** 72% of 2018 Alarms Were EMS ***
WHAT IS EMS?
EMS stands for “Emergency Medical Services”. When a 911 call is placed, it is the group of first responders who show up to provide medical care for emergency illnesses or injuries. In Spokane Fire District #13, it is our fire department, Newman Lake Fire and Rescue (NLFR), that provides this service. It is paid for with your tax dollars. We are not an ambulance service, but the link between early treatment and emergency room care.
In our District, volunteers provide this service. Special training and testing is required to qualify as an emergency medical responder. We have
two levels of responders:
•Emergency Medical Technician (EMT); We have 8 EMTs•Advanced Emergency Medical Technician (AEMT); We have 5 AEMTsThe different levels require:
•
176 hours of classroom training
176 hours of classroom training•Two 12 hour shifts of clinical observation in a pre-hospital setting (EMT)
Two 12 hour shifts of clinical observation in a pre-hospital setting (EMT)•Three 12 hour shifts of clinical observation in a pre-hospital setting (AEMT)
Three 12 hour shifts of clinical observation in a pre-hospital setting (AEMT)The basic cost to train to these levels ranges from $1600 to $2000 per responder.
WHAT IS THE EMS LEVY?
Newman Lake Fire and Rescue’s EMS budget is mainly supported by a levy that is renewed by voters every six years. The EMS Levy is $.50 per $1,000 of property value and has been in place since 1989. Renewal will be on the ballot for the February 12, 2019 election.
We pride ourselves on providing the best emergency care we can. Without this levy it would be difficult to continue to train our EMS responders to the level currently in place.
We would like to thank you for your past support of the EMS Levy and hope for your continued support.
Please contact us if you have any questions about the EMS Levy or Newman Lake Fire and Rescue in general: Chief Keith Yamane, Deputies Toni Halloran and Kim Stanley – 509-226-1482 or nlvfd@comcast.net