Features
Berkeley Firefighters Support Measure M: By GIL DONG
On Nov. 2, Berkeley voters will be asked to support an array of ballot measures. As a Berkeley Fire Captain, I can tell you that Measure M should be strongly supported by this city and community.
Measure M is asking the average homeowner for an additional $2.50 per month or eight cents per day to place a paramedic on every engine at every fire station. Berkeley is the only city in Alameda County that does not staff their fire companies with paramedics.
By placing a paramedic on every fire engine, advanced medical care can be initiated before the ambulance arrives. Paramedics with the proper tools and equipment can start breathing treatments for the asthmatic or for the person in congestive heart failure. Paramedics can also administer emergency drugs to treat severe allergic reactions or persons suffering from diabetic reactions.
Even though we have three transport ambulances, the call volume for emergency medical calls requires Berkeley to ask for ambulances to respond from Albany, Oakland or Piedmont. The response time of an ambulance from those outside agencies can be as long as twenty minutes. The solution to alleviate the long wait time is to provide your firefighters with the tools and equipment to start treating patients as soon as the fire engine arrives.
Measure M will also keep your fire department fully funded and staffed. If Measure M passes, the City Council will restore funding for a fire truck slated for closure on July 1, 2005.
If funding is not restored, Berkeley will lose 50 percent of its rescue capability and eliminate 10 percent of its on-duty firefighting personnel. Berkeley can’t afford to lose one of two fire trucks, because of all the rescue equipment it carries and the tasks the truck is responsible to complete. Truck companies have firefighters specially trained in heavy rescue, auto extrication, ventilation, forcible entry, and search and rescue.
Berkeley firefighters are dialing 9-1-1 for your support. Please vote Yes on Measure M and provide the tools and equipment to the firefighters so they can keep Berkeley safe!
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