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CHMELIK SITKIN & 0AVIS i,, ln zO1g, tlre OO*.,'"rp"rienced approximately g0 Emergency Medicalservice ("EMS") response calls, and a total of approximately 140 callouts. h 2A20, the District experienced approximately 95 EMS response calls, with a total of approximately 150 total calls. The District estimates that the Project will increase demand for callouts by 30-40%, thereby increasing the demand on existing volunteers, increasing the need for new volunteers, and requiring new apparatus and facilities on the other side of l-90 to serve the Project. Currently, the District has between 6-7 emergency medical volunteer technicians for a total of 18 volunteers, most of which work full-time outside of the District, so more volunteers and EMTs will be required as a result of the Project. The District is not aware of any developer that has been able to assure a sustainable volunteer base necessary to meet the requirements to serve the District. Ensuring adequate firefighter and EMT personnel are available for the Project is first and foremost a public safety issue, but it should also concern ERLC because it can impact the bottom line of both a developer and future owners as the number of available firefighters and EMT personnel influences insurance rates. Currently, when a callout occurs, and the District has the volunteer personnel respond, the District is out of service for a typical response to accept another callfor approximately 3 hours per incident, assuming the site is accessible. Currently, the District estimates its out of service time period equates to 130-150 days per year. \Mth an increase in service demands by the Project, the District estimates that this will increase to approximately 160-200 days of out of service time, without factoring in the lack of road access to the Project, which would be additional out of service time. lmpacts such as non-residential commercial callout demand will cause a further increase in the out of service time. This out of service time does not factor in any EMS transports, as most transports are provided by the Kittitas County Hospital District. ln addition to EMS and fire response, the District also provides wildlandlwildfire response due to adjacency on all sides of the Districl. Wldland fires are more and more frequently occurring in residential developments located in rural areas. And as the Commission is likely aware, the entire State is under a burn ban and there are currently 10 large wildfires burning in the State, including: the Burbank fire outside of Yakima (13,000 acres); the Batterman Road fire outside of Wenatchee (14,100 acres); and the Red Apple fire outside of Cashmere (11,000 acres).1a Unlike what is being suggested by ERLC, fire sprinklers alone do not adequately mitigate the life-safety concerns of the District created by this Project. Sprinkler systems, while important, primarily address fire suppression and property damage for structure fires - not emergency medical services,15 rescue needs, or wildfire response. lntensive commercial and residential development in rural areas increase demand on the District and necessitates additional capital expenditures, such as a wildlands engine. And while a sprinkler may provide fire suppression to a taller structure, the District does not have a ladder truck or an engine capable of carrying longer ladders needed to access above a 2-story structure for rescues or emergency medical service access. While the Project design justifies obtaining a new ladder truck, the District may be able to retrofit its current engine with a new ladder package that would allow the District's t4 Washington Department of Natural Resources lnciWeb - lncidenl lnformation System map: https:l/inciweb. nwcg. govl. '5 RCW 82.02.100 specifically notes an exception for emergency medical services.