Editor,

Fire commissioners say they need more of your money. Maybe that’s because commissioners Larry Wall and Bruce Carman voted to give the three chiefs a $10,000 raise last August and then another raise the first of this year. They also voted to hire three full time lieutenants at a cost of $240,000 a year.

The commissioners say they are going to use the additional money to make essential adjustments to their staffing model. In other words, they want to let the chief continue replacing volunteer firefighters with full-time paid personnel.

The commissioners say the calls have increased from 1,013 in 1999 to 2,283 in 2016. They don’t tell you that 61 percent of the calls are EMS calls covered by the personnel paid by the hospital contract to work shifts to staff the ambulance 24/7.

The commissioners say the hospital’s EMS contract doesn’t cover the total cost of having the ambulance manned 24/7 so they have to pay for some of that cost.

So who negotiated that contract? The fire commissioners just renewed the contract. Why didn’t they make the hospital cover all the costs?

The chief wants to purchase two new engines next year. They had plenty in the reserve account that was set aside to purchase those engines with cash — saving thousands in interest on a loan — but the commissioners allowed the chief to spend down the reserve so there wouldn’t be a lot of cash on the books. That doesn’t look good when you are asking for more money.

The commissioners voted to purchase a used water rescue boat for about $120,000. The water rescue program belongs to the Sheriff’s department.

He received grants to purchase water rescue equipment. So why is the fire department spending their money for the same program?

Why don’t the fire commissioners get the sheriff to fund their program like the hospital does with the EMS program? Why should we pay two agencies to do the same job?

Do you really want to give North Whidbey Fire and Rescue more of your money?

T.J. Lamont

Oak Harbor