I am writing this letter as a resident of King County Fire District 28 and a citizen, not as a fire district commissioner.

As your elected King County Fire District 28 commissioner for the past 14 years and your fellow resident, I feel compelled to share informationregarding the upcoming proposition that may be helpful when casting your vote.

This proposition would increase the current levy to $1.50 per $1,000 and this amount is still among the lowest across local districtscomparable in size and call volume.

Approving this proposition will allow the fire district to bring staffing back to safe levels by reinstating three firefighter positions that wereeliminated after this measure’s previous failure. Currently, your local fire station is not prepared to respond efficiently to more than one call ata time. Often, crews are being asked to respond to multiple calls concurrently, impacting effectiveness and response time. With the types ofemergencies our firefighters are responding to, every minute is crucial to the lives and property at stake. Restored staffing will in turn improvethe response time, increasing the chances of a positive outcome to a fire in your home, your teenager’s traffic accident or your elderly parent’sheart attack.

Firefighters arriving on scene with safe, reliable equipment to do the best job possible when treating patients and mitigating property damageis essential to the safety of our community. Approval of this proposition will allow more flexibility to plan for reasonable replacement andmaintenance of vital equipment.

We must better prepare the men and women who come to our aid in our greatest time of need, the ability to do so in a more timely manner.

I come to you with 30 years experience in fire service and administration. It is with these things in mind, I ask you to consider these factswhile making an informed decision on this proposition which will impact the safety of our residents and visitors.

Please don’t hesitate to approach me with any questions or clarification of the needs in our district and our community.

Dave Hannity

Enumclaw