LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Resident hopes all fire, EMS levies pass, and mean improved staffing at Dalton
I read with interest Scott Widmer’s Letter to the Editor in the August 19th issue.
At first, I thought that Scott was coming out against the 2.9 mill levy which would have surprised me greatly. As I read his letter further, I realized that he was simply asking us to understand what we are going to get for our tax dollars. My question is: Will the manned hours of the Dalton station be improved? I hope that it will as I had heard some stories of delayed responses and was present to witness one.
Last fall, I went to watch a reserve football game against Northwestern. A Northwestern player went down with a neck injury and was not moving. The trainer came out and was very cautious with the player and began to immobilize his neck. They also called for an ambulance. I presumed that within a few minutes the Dalton squad would respond. Surprisingly, 15 minutes passed, and I heard the siren of a distant ambulance. It was the Marshallville squad.
Fortunately, it was later determined he did not have a broken neck. I left the game wondering why, with a station so close, it was not manned while a football game was being played.
My expectation in supporting the levy is that the hours of manned service at the Dalton station can be improved. Also, that those manned hours will be prioritized based on the times of greatest need. Accordingly, I hope that President Blake Nussbaum and Fire Chief Kyle Nussbaum can effectively communicate their plan to the voters and that we will step up and support these dedicated young men in their effort to provide the best service possible with limited resources. I also want to thank the Trustees for finally coming together to resolve the divisive issues of the past. It’s time for this community to forget the problems of the past and focus on improving the future of fire and EMS services in the district.
Briefly, I want to also respond to David Wengerd’s letter by pointing out that the premise of his thorough cost analysis is faulty and meaningless. He broke down the total levy revenue on a per call basis by district and seemed to imply that the Unincorporated Districts were subsidizing Dalton and Marshallville Villages. So, what if we are? When you pay your county or state taxes, do you really think your tax dollars are only spent toward improvements in your own backyard? This is exactly the territorial philosophy that has brought about some of the divisiveness of the past. If you want to establish this meaningless cost analysis to determine value then based on your own numbers, it’s $721.90 per call. I’m just wondering how much you’d be willing to pay if it was your life being saved by the quickest, most well-trained, medical response possible.
I hope that all of the fire and EMS levies pass and encourage everyone to vote YES.
Dan Blosser
Sugar Creek Township resident
