Dear Neighbors,

As a new fire commissioner and a resident of this community, I’m reaching out to ask for your support on an issue that affects us all—the upcoming vote on the fire levy for San Juan County Fire Protection District No. 3. Whether it’s a fire, a medical emergency, or a rescue situation, our fire department is often the first line of defense. Our protection district provides essential all-hazard emergency services not only for San Juan Island but also for the nearby inhabited islands; Brown Island, Dinner Island, Henry Island, Pearl Island, Stuart Island, Johns Island, Cactus Island, Spieden Island, and O’Neil Island. This vote is about ensuring that we have reliable emergency services when we need them most.

The current fire levy has dropped to less than $0.30 per $1,000 of assessed property value, ham-stringing the district’s ability to maintain essential services. For example, since 2023 alone the department had to reduce minimum 24/7 staffing from two to one firefighter at the Mullis Street Headquarters Fire Station due to budget shortfalls. A single firefighter cannot respond to any serious emergency in a meaningful way. Instead, they must wait for additional personnel to arrive even just to use their lights and sirens. Clearly, this is not a tenable situation. Our current levy rate is one of the lowest in the state. The fire district has never asked for a levy lid lift before, but it has been long overdue. The proposal on the ballot—Proposition 1—will adjust the regular fire levy rate to $0.70 per $1,000 of assessed value. For a homeowner, this means approximately an additional $20 per month for a $600,000 home. This rate will still be lower than the majority of other fire protection rates in the state and less than half of the maximum allowable regular fire levy rate of $1.50 per $1,000 of assessed value.

The proposed new rate is based on a comprehensive 25 year plan developed by Fire Chief Noel Monin and staff. This plan aims to achieve a staffing level of three firefighters per 24-hour shift. Combined with our currently staffed on-call duty officer, this would guarantee the immediate response of the absolute minimum four firefighters required for interior fire suppression. This is because safety standards require that at least two firefighters remain outside a structure while at least two are inside. Additionally, the plan includes mandatory maintenance and much-needed upgrades of equipment and facilities, and the restoration of a currently depleted reserve fund for emergency expenses.

Your approval of the fire levy means faster response times, better-trained firefighters, safer equipment, and more reliable emergency services. It means maintaining fire stations that meet the needs of modern firefighting and ensuring the safety of our firefighters by giving them the resources they need to protect us. It means maintaining homeowners’ ability to purchase fire insurance in the future.

Without this funding, we risk stretching our already strained resources even thinner. Insufficient staffing, outdated equipment, and inadequate facilities could all put our community – each of us – at risk. Simply put, we can’t afford not to act.

Please join me in voting to Approve Proposition 1. Let’s ensure that San Juan County Fire Protection District No. 3 has the funding it needs to protect our lives and property.

Thank you for your support.

Sincerely,

Alexa Rust

Fire Commissioner, San Juan County Fire Protection District No. 3