To the editor:

It recently came to our attention that the fire station on Phelps Road is not staffed with full-time emergency personnel. It contains equipment, trucks, etc. and occasionally volunteers that are on call at the facility.

911 calls for the North End are primarily staffed by the Madison Avenue station and the South End has two emergency responders on staff. This is obviously frightening (or should be) for North Island residents. We all know that a few minutes can change the outcome in an emergency.

The rationale for this status quo is there isn’t enough funding due to diminished property tax revenue and the concern of incurring costs associated with hiring personnel. Evidently this has been an issue for some time and several options have been reviewed to this point. Staffing with volunteers might be the least expensive and potentially easiest short term approach — but not a good one for the long haul.

But even more alarming (no pun intended) is the fact that a facilities improvement plan is underway when we already have a structure that isn’t even being fully utilized. Honestly, we believe we may need both but can’t imagine why staffing the Phelps station isn’t the number one priority.

The chief and the emergency staff have expressed the need for full-time staff to support the North End via Phelps station. We agree! From what we gather, the board of fire commissioners is hesitating to ask the voters for both. That might be a tall order to get both items passed. But we should know the facts and vote accordingly.

It’s intuitive: People first, infrastructure upgrades next.

The Bainbridge Island emergency personnel are wonderful, life-saving, essential resources. They have our backs and we should have theirs. Speak up please! Please come to a board meeting and present your concerns. Ask for a vote.

Meetings are held at 6 p.m. at the Phelps Fire station on the second and fourth Thursdays of the month.

THE D’AMATO FAMILY

THE LEA FAMILY

Bainbridge Island