To: Mayor Dave Edler

Councilmember Maureen Adkison

Councilmember Micah Cawley

Councilmember Kathy Coffey

Councilmember Rick Ensey

Councilmember Bill Lover

Councilmember Sonia Rodriguez

Our March 24, 2009 letter from SOAR to the Yakima City Council asked several questions regarding the EMS proposal. To date, the Council has not addressed or answered any of these questions. We also reminded the City Council of the EMS Levy vote results which were an overwhelming NO vote on this proposal. The idea of expanding the fire department services to include paramedics should be put to rest with another resounding NO vote. SOAR has continued consideration of this issue since it is still under consideration by the City Council and now has more questions including the following:

+ Where is the public support for this proposal?? Where is the citizens group or committee that would be advocating that paramedics be added to fire trucks? The only support for this idea is the fire chief and fire fighters union. Ask yourselves why the fire fighters union is pushing for paramedics on fire trucks?? Why does the firee department want to compete with private ambulance services?? Could the answer be to expand the fire fighters union and increase fire fighter salaries as paramedics while cloaking their proposal under the banner of public safety ??

+ Were the two existing fire fighters hired as firemen or as paramedics?? Do they receive additional compensation because of their advanced training which is not currently required for their jobs ??

+ The City and its citizens currently enjoy private ambulance services and a user pay system. That is, only persons needing EMS and transport services pay for these services. Why would we want to change to a publicly funded system ??

+ Our City currently has an EMS system that works. Unfortunately, our City government cannot afford to be everything to everybody. We have to use our limited resources in the most cost effective manner. Our current EMS with privately funded paramedics works and does not cost our taxpayers money unless they need and use the ambulance service. Why would we want to change ??

+ Why does the City Fire Department respond with large, expensive fire trucks to all 911 EMS calls?? It seems that huge fire trucks costing over $ 800,000 lumbering to an aid call is the absolute waste of a firefighting apparatus?? Why can’t the EMS dispatchers use discretion as to when large, expensive fire trucks are necessary ??

+ Is the City Fire Department responding to all 911 calls for EMS to simply increase their “call volume” to increase statistics and revenue from the Countywide EMS levy funds?? Can’t common sense and good judgement be used to determine when large, expensive fire trucks are sent on EMS calls ??

+ Fire Chief Hines stated publicly that a shortage of fire fighters has placed our citizens in danger. Would training of additional firee fighters as paramedics leave us with fewer fire fighters on duty or much increased overtime or additional cost for temporary fire fighters to fill these positions while others are being trained as paramedics?? The annual fire department overtime budget is already over $ 400,000. What would be the pay increase for fire fighters who are trained as paramedics?? What will be the future budget impacts of this program to add paramedics to fire trucks ??

+ How will the City fund training of additional fire fighters as paramedics if the City proceeds with paramedic/firee fighters?? How will the City fund the expensive equipment and medications necessary for paramedics on fire trucks ??

+ We believe that this current proposal to allow the two existing firefighters who are trained as paramedics to perform paramedic services is just the proverbial” nose of the camel in the tent”. If approved, we fully expect to see additional proposals from the Fire Chief in the near future to hire Dr train additional firefighters as paramedics, then purchase smaller emergency response vehicles with transport capabilities, and then ultimately to take over the ambulance services duties including transporting of patients to the hospitals, thereby putting the private ambulance companies out of business. This would be a poor direction for our City to go.

+ Perhaps the Yakima City Council should direct the firefighters duties, when not responding to fire calls, to improving the City’s safety and fire rating by being involved more with code enforcement, weedy lots, trashed up properties, derelict buildings, etc ??

Again, we respect our Yakima Fire Fighters and the job they are paid to perform. We believe the City Council should direct the Yakima Fire Department to focus on the vital fire fighting services and let the private ambulance services do their jobs. We look forward to answers to our questions from our City Council.

M.A. (Mel) Tanasse, President

Save Our American Rights (SOAR)

September 18, 2001 adjourned meeting minutes

Yakima City Staff estimates the cost of the Grade separation aka “Underpasses” for “MLK Jr.” St. & Lincoln Avenue at $14,000,000.

March 19,2002 adjourned meeting minutes.

Mr. Wolcott from Berger ABAM Engineering reviewed the problems caused by the BNSR rail traffic. Safety concerns at the Railroad grade crossings have caused accidents and it was noted a fatality occurred at the Mead avenue crossing which involved the Central Railroad. In addition, the delay caused by the estimated 4-24 through trains per day was expected to impact Police and Fire response time.

As it turns out there is a much greater safety factor existing when you consider that the East bound traffic on Lincoln avenue is choked down to a sharp right hand 90% turn on to Pierce avenue heading South about %of a block then another sharp left hand 90% turn to enter eastbound MLK Jr. This traffic transition is a hazard and doesn’t speak well of engineering – photos taken Nov. 15th

2008.

Air pollution: The City was/is concerned about the air pollution created by idling cars stopped for trains. It is my belief there is more air pollution created by cars stopped for traffic lights on MLK Jr. and Lincoln avenues. Cross traffic lights are triggered immediately when one car approaches thus causing MLK Jr. & Lincoln traffic to stop unnecessarily. This occurs early in the morning between 5 am and 6:30 am.

September 18, 2001 adjourned meeting minutes.

Traffic: The City has calculated the average vehicle delay at 9 minutes per crossing. By 2030 the estimated delay at rail crossings would be 11 minutes per train to clear.

2008 Facts:

3 BNSF through-trains heading south were timed to determine the traffic delay at the Yakima R/R crossings and the results were train #1 = 3 minutes 3 seconds to clear; train #2 = 4 minutes 3 seconds to clear and Train #3 = 4 minutes to clear.

September 18, 2001 adjourned meeting minutes.

City statistics showed through trains totaled 4 to 6 per day with a potential capacity of 12 to 14 per day. The City argues that enlarging the Stampede Pass tunnel and other line improvements could increase trains per day through Yakima to 20 – 26. Mr. Walcott claims to have documents supporting the increased train capacity.

2008 Facts:

BNSF has no immediate plans to invest in Washington. There is no longer a bottleneck in the Stevens Pass Tunnel. There’s has been a phenomenal increase in productivity, including the expansion to 10,000 foot trains through the Stevens Pass Tunnel instead of 7,000 foot trains. See 6-27/7-3-2008 Puget Sound Business Journal.

September 18, 2001 adjourned meeting minutes.

Trains – Mr. Wolcott pointed out that the Railroad is a private company and their business depends on competition as well as the import/export of goods. It was noted the BNSF – SPS route through the Columbia River Gorge was at their capacity, leaving the Stampede pass route as the most likely to be expanded.

2008 Facts:

The Columbia River Gorge route of SPS will receive improved connections where the North-South Rail line turns east to parallel the Columbia River to the Vancouver Bypass when the $115 million project is completed. Further, executives for the West’s two largest railroads are pouring money into Southern California routes, whiles investing very little in the Northwest. Los Angeles and Long Beach have the best prospects for import growth while Puget Sound ports stalled at about a quarter of the Southern California volume. See 6-27/ 7-3-2008 Puget Sound Business Journal.

March 19,2002 adjourned meeting minutes.

Mr. Wolcott suggested “MLK Jr.” and Lincoln Ave. should be Phase 1 of the grade separation “underpasses” project due to the amount of traffic utilizing those streets. Estimates of probable construction cost for Phase 1 were $24,963,339. By 2005 estimated costs for the same Phase 1 construction had risen to $29,950,000 and $34,770,000 by the end of 2006.

Currently, the cost estimate for this project has increased to over $42,000,000 with no end in sight. This figure does not included the additional costs to purchase BNSF property west of the main tracks and south of Lincoln Avenue which we guess will be upwards of $750,000.

Fact: 8-19-2008 “Seattle Daily Journal of Commerce” Mexico has opened bidding on a new $4 billion Seaport that will rival Los Angeles and Long Beach which are the largest ports in America. The Punta Colonet Project is located 150 miles south of the U.S. border and a planned railroad would bring containers directly to points across the mid-western U.S. and is anticipated to begin operation in 2012 with a capacity to handle 2 million 20 foot containers and could expand to several times more. Yes, these freighters would be sailing from Asia with goods heading north.

Fact: 9-2-2008 “Los Angeles Times” Los Angeles, Long Beach, Seattle and Tacoma imports are down 13% for first 7 months of 2008. Those that are in the know don’t believe a turnaround will begin before the second quarter of 2009. Now, with financial institutions and Wall Street in distress, it is anybody’s guess as to what will occur.

Fact: 6-27-2008 “Puget Sound Business Journal” the Vancouver Fraser Port authority will spend $2.5 Billion on a new offshore terminal doubling their capacity to 5 million 20 foot containers. In addition, expanding the terminal to handle 12 million 20 foot containers. The newly opened Prince Rupert port has a goal of handling containers from Asia bound for the Mid-West. British Columbia ports were up 7% the first half of 2008, while Seattle was down nearly 5*A>.

IT APPEARS, BASED ON THE ABOVE-STATED FACTS, THE ESTIMATED TRAIN TRAFFIC STASTISTICS USED TO START THIS PROJECT WERE INACCURATE. NOW THAT CURRENT AND ESTIMIATED FUTURE TRAIN TRAFFIC SHOWS THAT THE PREVIDUS TRAIN TRAFFIC PROJECTIONS HAVE NOT BEEN REALIZED, THE WISE MOVE WOULD BE, AT A MINIMUM, TO REDUCE THIS “UNDERPASSES” PROJECT TO ONE (1) ONLY UNDERPASS!!!!

We will be meeting on June 1st at 6:30 p.m. to review the current issues being addressed by S.O.A.R.,  to get participant input into  additional issues to consider, and to create committees to research and develop factual data and positions regarding issues.

Some current issues for discussion include:

• The City Council’s desire to use paramedics on aid calls;
• Stormwater tax issues;
• Railroad grade separation;
• The cost of school administration; and
• Illegal and legal immigration costs.

Please R.S.V.P by calling Mel Tanasse at 966-5331 or by emailing info@saveouramericanrights.com.