A fire levy like Measure 20‑378, proposed by Lane Fire Authority, is a focused time‑limited funding tool for frontline emergency service, not a blank‑check tax increase. When voters support Measure 20‑378, they are voting directly to keep firefighters, paramedics and critical equipment in service for Lane Fire Authority, which makes this a vote for public safety first, even on a ballot full of other tax questions.

The measure is a local option fire levy dedicated specifically to Lane Fire Authority’s fire and emergency medical services, for a set number of years. It is designed to fund day‑to‑day operations like staffing fire engines and ambulances, adding needed firefighter positions and providing the basic facilities required to house crews so they can respond quickly across the district. These are services people feel immediately if they are reduced, from longer response times to fewer people available to handle multiple 911 calls to more strain on both full‑time and volunteer crews. In a district where medical and rescue calls make up most emergencies, Measure 20-378 ensures trained help still reaches homes and businesses in minutes when something goes wrong.

This year’s ballot will likely include several measures that affect taxes: school funding, city and county revenue proposals, bonds and other levies. Taken together, it can feel overwhelming, and it is easy to see them all as “just more taxes.” Many of those measures send money into broader budgets that cover many different services, so their impact is important but more spread out and less directly connected to 911 response.

Measure 20‑378 is different in both scope and purpose. It is tightly targeted to Lane Fire Authority and can only be used for clearly defined public safety needs — keeping stations open and staffed, maintaining emergency response capacity and sustaining safe levels of fire and EMS coverage.

On a crowded ballot, the real question around Measure 20‑378 is: What happens to emergency response here if this levy fails? A yes vote is a direct choice to preserve and strengthen the emergency response system your family and neighbors rely on when they dial 911.

Mike McFarlane
Springfield