I am writing in support of the EMS levy increase.

This necessary and vital emergency service is a real asset in these isolated islands. I had never had the occasion to use their services (thank goodness) until eight weeks ago when I had to take an emergency flight to Anacortes.

I was two weeks overdue with my first baby and my water broke, full of meconium, 30 minutes after the last ferry left. We called EMS and they were there within minutes, and hustled to get me on a flight to beat the rapidly approaching fog.

After my water broke, my labor progressed quickly and I was contracting every two to three minutes by the time we were on the plane. I feel it is of utmost importance that we have highly trained, well-paid employees and administrative staff for our local emergency services.

If there aren’t going to be any maternity services in the islands, we need to count on our EMS to handle situations like mine. The ultrasound doppler in the ambulance was a bit antiquated and was missing its battery cover, luckily I chose to stay positive and not panic, but it wasn’t able to find my baby’s heartbeat.

They should have state of the art equipment, the best-trained staff, and well-paid employees. Join me and vote”Yes” for EMS.

Juniper Maas/San Juan Island