Even with overwhelming support from area home and business owners that the District staff has met with for a mill levy increase, Tony Harwig, Fire Chief of the Los Pinos Fire District, along with 100 percent support of the Board of Directors have voted to postpone the mill levy election scheduled for May 5, 2020. The crews and administration are currently focused 100 percent on the Covid-19 pandemic response along with answering the regular emergency calls. We also have concerns for the people that would be working as election judges and staff along with the postal service personnel and printing companies. Everyone’s safety and wellbeing are and always will be our priority. It’s the right thing to do under the current situation in the area and world.
Yes, this will be difficult financially for the district, but we are all in difficult times. We can stretch our savings out a little longer just like everybody is currently having to do. As the economy and the job market for the people we protect gets better we will approach the taxpayers again for the needed assistance.
The district is dipping into reserves at nearly one million dollars a year to run the current minimum staffing levels from just the one station in Ignacio, leaving the other four without staffing. The district is making plans to dip into savings even deeper as the Covid-19 pandemic advances by possibly adding non-EMS certified operators as needed for the ambulances so we can spread out the trained medics to several currently unstaffed backup ambulances. We are looking into any, and all options to do the best we can to respond to the public’s needs during this serious situation.
Many, many hours of hard work over the past half a year went into the election by all involved and we so much appreciate all of you. Thank you to everybody that has supported this effort by attending presentations and giving valuable input.
Please give thanks to all the doctors, nurses, scientists, dispatchers, grocery workers, truck drivers and the countless others working so hard behind the scenes to keep this country protected and moving forward. Let’s all work hard and do our part to defeat this horrible virus and come out of it with a renewed appreciation of our freedom and love for one another.
A request from Los Pinos Fire Dept. Chief Tony Harwig
The Los Pinos Fire Department requests that if the public has any questions or concerns about the Corona Virus, that they contact San Juan Basin Public Health. Their website is www.sjbpublichealth.org. Phone numbers for updated information include: 303-389-1687 and 877-462-2911. If you believe you have symptoms, call your doctor to receive further instruction and to see if you meet the criteria for testing. If you do not have a doctor, call San Juan Basin Public Health’s front desk at 970-247-5702, option 1. Los Pinos Fire is here to serve for emergency medical and fire protection calls.