By Geoff and Cindy Moore
The Moores live in Hailey.
The Express editorial of April 24, "Quench the Flames" was as obviously slanted journalism as any to appear in the paper on this subject yet. I suppose, there is no obligation in an editorial to maintain any sort of balanced viewpoint or objectivity; one would think it reasonable however, to at least expect facts, rather than unfounded propaganda, as a basis for opinion.
Hailey does indeed operate a Paid/Call Fire/EMS Dept. comprised of a full-time staff of firefighters as well as paid-per-call firefighters. Ketchum, Sun Valley and WRF&R also operate combination Fire/EMS departments. WRF&R is the contractor for the provision of Transport Paramedic Level EMS in Southern Blaine County and is staffed 24/7 with resources sufficient to satisfy that Ambulance Contract with Blaine County Ambulance District.
WRF&R Ambulance/EMS calls outnumber Fire calls by more than 4 to 1. When that ambulance responds WRF&R to a call, the full time personnel respond on the ambulance while any fire responses is staffed by their paid-per-call "Volunteers," exactly the same as Hailey Fire Dept. The notion that WRF&R is a 24 hour staffed station is misleading. Yes there is a 24/7 staff but they could be at any one of the three stations that they operate out of, or on a ambulance call near Craters of the Moon. Another bit of misinformation.
The Hailey "Volunteers" as the author characterizes them, have undergone the same training criteria and regimen as the WRF&R "Professionals." The collective years of experience on WRF&R pales in comparison to that of HFD.
The notion that Wood River personnel could conceivably have to drive away from a fire or worse, past a fire, in order to retrieve a ladder truck from their 3rd Ave Station is a fact, but it's no different if a fire occurs in their own jurisdiction. As of yet, no one seems to have been able to strategize fires so that they do not occur between the homes of Wood River's personnel and the station, necessitating that they too, drive past or away from the fire in order to retrieve the ladder truck.
Wood River's decision to terminate their contractual obligation to Hailey in the South Valley Auto Aid Agreement did not change the existence of Mutual Aid between all Valley fire agencies, meaning that upon request, Wood River would still be responding to Hailey fires with a ladder truck. The well-publicized auto aid termination was no more than yet another Wood River publicity stunt.
So why, then, all of this "smoke and mirrors" and these publicity stunts designed to incite a negative response from a public not privy to the twisted inner truth of this issue? The answer is simple. Wood River knows that through ongoing and predicable annexation of developable properties into Hailey and Bellevue, their projected tax-based revenue stream is going to dwindle in coming years. The solution in their minds is also simple—eliminate other fire departments so they are the only wheel in town and can survive.
Consolidation of emergency services, primarily fire and EMS, has been done in numerous locations in the United States. In some cases it has been successful and in many cases, it has not. In nearly every case, the desired result—more efficient service and benefit to the taxpayer, at a more economical cost—has not been successful. It is, however, reasonable to explore the potential of consolidation. That exploration cannot, however, have any hope of producing an objective and reasonable result until honesty is the common denominator and self-service, rather than genuine service to the tax payer, is the prevailing motivation. Unfortunately, the Idaho Mountain Express still perpetuates the very decisiveness that has blocked any type of consolidation, and yet ironically wishes the project success.
