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Fire District 4 levy would save four positions Saturday May 6, 2017 at 12:01 AM Buffy Pollock for the Mail Tribune SHADY COVE — Jackson County Fire District 4 Chief Rod Edwards says passage of the proposed Measure 15-186 on the May 16 ballot quite literally could mean the difference between life or death. If approved, the levy of 99 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value would prevent the elimination of four full-time firefighter/EMT positions. The owner of a $250,000 home would pay $247.50 a year. Without levy approval, the expiration of federal grants in December would mean almost immediate layoffs and diminished service levels, he said. Four of seven positions in the rural department are funded by a two-year federal grant that began in 2015. Edwards said the Shady Cove-Trail service area has seen a 25-percent increase in calls in the past two years, Edwards said, adding that levy dollars would go entirely to wages for the four positions. "People don't realize that, prior to hiring four more guys, we would often answer calls with one career (paid) person and whatever volunteers we had on hand," Edwards said. "If we had a situation with a house on fire and another person down somewhere with a heart attack, not breathing, you wouldn't want just one person showing up to figure out how to handle those calls," he said. "I think the typical expectation is, when you call 911, that there is going to be plenty of people there to help you. Our reality is that we haven't always been able to have what we need, and with a growing demand for service, we can't get by on any less than we have right now." Ed Mayer, a retired Jackson County Sheriff's Department captain and now a district resident and volunteer, said the levy is critical. "If we aren't able to maintain these four positions, we're going to drop down to 3½ people in the department — and the half is our chief," Mayer said. "With only three firefighters augmented by volunteers, our ability to respond to calls are so diminished. It could, quite literally, mean a difference of life or death for someone." Mayer recently set up a table at a local store to talk to residents about the upcoming election and he said he heard numerous stories of residents saved by District 4 crews. "One lady broke down in tears and said her husband had a heart attack and that our responders kept him alive to get him to the hospital," Mayer said. "He lived for one more day. Without that, she wouldn't have been able to say goodbye." "We're not looking to build a new fire station or go buy a shiny new fire engine," Edwards said. "We just want to be able to maintain the level of service we've achieved with these four positions. "Too often, voters think if they say no, whoever is asking for the money will 'figure it out.' We don't have multiple funds or the ability to shift money from one place to another. We are asking taxpayers to decide if they want us to continue to provide the service they are currently receiving." — Buffy Pollock is a freelance writer living in Medford. Email her at [email protected].