If you’re looking for the definition of “out of touch,” look no further than North Whidbey Fire and Rescue, which just experienced an embarrassing levy election defeat.

The proposal on the Feb. 19 ballot to raise the levy rate by roughly 33 cents to $1 per thousand was not just defeated, it was pummeled, losing by an eye-opening 70 percent to 30 percent.

Considering that Whidbey Islanders love their firefighters and EMTs and are generally anxious to support them in any way possible, this defeat goes beyond just poor communication prior to the election. Certainly, the three elected commissioners who head the district should have done a much better job of promoting the levy and explaining the need to upgrade fire stations and equipment. But it’s hard to imagine that a few public meetings and an informational flyer would have overcome the public support deficit revealed by the election.

The fire district’s public relations problems appear to run much deeper than an unpopular levy proposal. Perhaps there are still some hard feelings out there over the decision several years ago to have a single fire chief, rather than south district and north district chiefs as had been the tradition. And the recent decision to partner with a private marine services business for water rescues had its critics in the department. These conflicts are in the open, but the public has to suspect there are other divisions below the surface. It’s the only way to explain a 70 percent defeat at the polls. If all the volunteer firefighters had been supporting the proposal, it may not have passed, but it certainly would have fared much better.

It’s obvious the commissioners have a lot of work to do before bringing another levy to the voters. This will require numerous meetings with firefighters at individual stations to hear grievances, address concerns, and get everyone back on the same page. And these meetings should be public, so the voters and taxpayers feel closer to their fire department and know they are not the problem, but rather part of the solution.

North Whidbey Fire and Rescue is in an emergency situation. And as any trained responder knows, quick, thorough action is required to put out the fire.