Support the Clallam Co. Fire Prot. District #1 Lid Lift

Voting YES on Fire District No. 1 Proposition #1 is a smart thing you can do to help support our town and volunteer fire department. If you can imagine trying to run a small business without a paid manager, when you have County and State Safety standards to meet, all the while maintaining your equipment and high standards, then you have an idea of what the guys are trying to do now.

With part of these funds, they can retain a full time paid department chief who can manage the training and certification requirements as well as the day to day operation of the department.

Our Beaver and Forks departments have been spread so thin with a decline in the number of firefighters and the increase in call volumes, that a small number of guys are trying to do everything – chief duties and daily maintenance – supporting each others calls – supporting calls from the Hospital – training in their spare time – all the while maintaining a 6.0 Protection Class rating.  This rating is not only a Performance review rating, but directly affects how insurance companies set the rates for homeowners insurance.

The increase they are asking for of 34 cents per $1,000 of assessed valuation of your home ($51 a year on a home valued at $150,000) is a small price to pay to assure that we have great coverage in time of need.

This LID LIFT increase will bring us to 75 cents per $1,000 – still the lowest of any city in the county. I feel safer knowing that our guys are dedicated to responding quickly to calls and they want to be there volunteering. Please vote YES on CCFPD1 proposition 1.

Linda Offutt

Forks, WA