2010 EMS Levy

Spokane voters are being asked to consider an Emergency Medical Service (EMS) levy as part of the April 27, 2010, special election. The Spokane City Council approved placing the levy on the ballot at their March 8 meeting.

The current EMS levy will expire on Dec. 31, 2010, and City voters are being asked to approve the continuation of the levy for the next six years.

The EMS levy raises about $8 million annually and would assist with paying for:

First Response basic and advanced life support response.
Firefighter/Emergency Medical Technicians and Firefighter/Paramedics.
Medical supplies and equipment plus general operating costs.
Vehicle and equipment maintenance.
EMS training.
EMS management and quality improvement programs.
The EMS levy would be at the same rate as approved in 2004. It cannot exceed 50 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value; that’s $50 a year for a property worth $100,000 or $100 a year on a property worth $200,000.

The Fire Department has been involved with EMS for more than 50 years. The EMS Levy has been in place since 1980. The funding raised by the EMS levy equals about 25 percent of the City’s General Fund allocation to the Fire Department.

Since 2005, the Spokane Fire Department has responded to more 20,000 emergency medical calls. Those calls have accounted for more than 80 percent of incident calls annually since 2005. During that time, the City’s population has grown somewhat—from about 198,000 to about 205,000.