Imagine for a moment that you are a family of four and live comfortably in a three-bedroom house. Then your brother, his wife and son move in. And your elderly parents need help with care, so they move in with you. Your food bill skyrockets, your utilities increase and you can’t expect a raise at work for another year yet.That’s what the Falcon area is going through right now. People are moving into the area at a rate that is expected to double the population in five years. That’s 11,000 new homes! This growth puts a strain on all services, just like it would strain your budget, your hot water heater and the refrigerator if your relatives moved in with you.My concern is for the health and safety of families; in particular, the services provided by the Falcon Fire Protection District. The department is expecting 1,100 runs this year. Six years ago, they responded to 411 calls. The more calls they get, the more likely a response will not be timely because the trucks and personnel are already on another call. These are not all fire calls — 80 percent are medical. They respond to car accidents, on-the-job injuries and they are first responders to heart attacks, strokes and children’s injuries. Two of the stations aren’t even staffed full time; they depend on volunteers with beepers – many of whom work during the day in Colorado Springs.In order to bring down that response time, the fire department needs new stations and new equipment. They won’t see the financial benefit of this new growth until two years from now. But the needs are immediate. That’s why I_am voting yes on ballot issues 5B and 5C.Lynn BlissChair of Friends of the Falcon Fire Department
