Calls for service to the Crooked River Ranch Rural Fire Department have gone up by 200 a year from 300 calls a few years ago. That’s just one of the reasons voters in Crooked River Ranch should vote to renew the rural fire department’s five-year, local option levy in the November election.

The levy keeps the fire department staffed full-time. Before the levy, it was a volunteer fire department.

Fire Chief Tim McLaren said on his first call in 2007 he pulled a fire truck out onto the apron and had to wait seven minutes for anyone else to arrive. Now with fvull-time staffing, the department’s already on its way to the destination.

Also before the levy, when the department had back-to-back calls, it would have to rely on mutual aid agreements with neighboring departments to respond to many second incidents. The levy and staffing changes have increased the ability of the department to respond to more than one incident at the same time, particularly calls requiring paramedics. That improves response times and can help save lives.

The department does get other taxpayer money, through regular property taxes. McLaren said that is not enough to keep a full-time staff and fund other operational costs.

Running the department is not all about money, though. There is an important core of volunteer firefighters who work with the department. But they require training and equipment in their first year, costing about $3,000 per person.

McLaren also points out that the department has managed to control its costs, so it has not been necessary to ask voters to pay more in the levy than when they approved it five years ago.

The levy renewal is, again, not an increase. It will be at the current rate of $0.69 per $1,000 of assessed value. That is $69 per year for a home assessed at $100,000, or less than $6 a month. The renewal is estimated to raise about $174,000 for 2014-15.

That’s a worthy price to pay for Crooked River voters to preserve improved fire and medical emergency protection.