Speeches

I was pleased to read in the last Ruston Connection (RC) newsletter that my fellow Toastmaster who lives in Ruston gave a speech responding to my earlier presentation to our speech club about the Ruston Fire Department. His conclusion is right on, "You can understand the issue of fire and EMS for the town of Ruston is going to require some soul searching and compromise to meet these growing needs." This soul searching and in-depth research is exactly what the fire committee did.

I regret that the speech outlined by RC did not include pertinent facts that were presented to this anonymous author, facts that are well known to RC editors. There is no reason to hide information from our citizens. We are capable of making the right decision for our community based on all the facts, even if we don't always do what RC tells us to do.

Karen's speech, given a month or so prior to the speech repeated by RC:
Halloween night he lay bleeding on the street in Ruston. Every second, every beat of his weakening heart brought him closer to death. Two and a half minutes after being discovered, life saving treatment was being administered. He didn’t have another three minutes to wait for help.

There is no clearer nor poignant picture of why we need to keep our Ruston Fire Department than what I’ve just described. This young man is alive today because our fire department was capable, trained and close enough to save his life. I want to outline the debate on this issue today and let you know why I feel so passionately about the value of having our own volunteer fire department. Our mayor has appointed an independent committee to study this issue, and I will use their findings and recommendations to frame this presentation.

First, it is important to note that the committee was balanced with members who were both supportive and antagonistic about our volunteer department or who were unbiased. Members included a longtime councilmember, a newer councilmember adamant that we contract with Tacoma for service, Ruston’s assistant fire chief, an educator for Bates fire training, a longtime resident who began the process with concerns, a resident who is a small business owner and a resident who is local trauma doctor.

The committee reached strong consensus after months of in-depth study with exception of the pro-Tacoma councilmember on these findings. Although the committee explored several departments, I will compare Tacoma and Ruston since that is the current point of discussion.

Response times in 2006 for emergency medical calls:
Ruston, 3.7 minutes
Tacoma, 5.47 minutes

Response times for fire calls:
Ruston, 3.48 minutes
Tacoma, 5.99 minutes

Annual cost per resident:
Ruston, $38
Tacoma, $250

Quality of care:
All of Ruston’s volunteers are EMT trained (Emergency Medical Technician) with the exception of 4 that are in training. The department maintains 100% compliance with the state On-going Training and Evaluation Program. One of Pierce County’s top trainers for both volunteer and paid programs trains our department. She noted in a presentation that Ruston’s skill level is one of the best. Ruston has both a paramedic and educator as members of its fire department. The department has a defibrillator and can administer EPI pins for allergic shock.

Next level of response after the “first responders”:
An ambulance is dispatched the same in both jurisdictions at the same time as the fire department. But the paramedics on board will have vital information about the emergency sooner from Ruston personnel since they are on scene sooner. This helps both the ambulance crew and the hospital to prepare. Paramedics arrive with ambulance and transport to hospital regardless which fire department responds to the scene first.

Intangibles:
Ruston Fire Department provides service during emergencies, such as with the 2007 wind storm when they worked to clear roads during the storm. They provide service to neighbors; like helping to move invalids or blood pressure checks on request. They give us emotional support during crisis. Their service strengthens the fabric of our community when neighbors are willing to sacrifice like this for each other.

Conclusions:
After much study, the committee determined that Ruston’s current department structure adequate for 2 years. They recommend increasing membership from 15 to 20 (already implemented). They suggested that the council require sprinklers on new construction. In a few years, they recommend starting a residency program with on-site paid personnel located in the town-owned house next to Town Hall to supplement the volunteer force. They also suggest that the community pass a levy to pay for new equipment and future needs as has been done in most other jurisdictions.

The Tacoma proposal will cost more for longer response times to our emergencies. We have no control over future cost increases (the contract includes an automatic escalator based on Tacoma budget numbers). We lose our local fire station and will have to compete with rest of Tacoma for service. The Tacoma proposal does not provide fire code enforcement or emergency management.

When it’s your child who’s hurt, when it’s your spouse with the medical emergency, when it’s your house on fire – you need fast, reliable, competent emergency response. This independent committee has proven that we have just that in Ruston ~ let’s keep it that way. Attend the council meetings and contact our elected officials. Let them know you want unbiased consideration of the committee’s findings and implementation of their recommendations.