Editor,
I read about Larch closing and am concerned about my fire district’s ability to respond in case of wildland fires. There was a big one a few years ago and more are coming. I live in Clark County Fire District 3, and we don’t have enough people to replace those wildland fire crews that have left.
I worked in the fire service for 34 years. When I started back in 1960, the fire department that employed me had three- and four-person engine crews. Fire District 3 has only two-person engine crews, and it’s 2024!
That’s not enough people to enter a burning building. By law you need three, which means our firefighters have to wait for another engine to arrive. We can’t even staff all our fire stations full time. This is unsafe for our community.
Fire District 3 is asking our community to approve a fire levy lid lift to hire more firefighters. I know all of us are paying more for everything, but I think the most important public service funded by tax dollars is fire/emergency medical services.
This is not because I was a firefighter. It’s because it saves lives.
Gary McPeak
Battle Ground
