When I was driving into Garberville one day in 1992 I saw a commotion on the side of the road and decided to stop. As it happened there was a man who fell off the edge of a steep hill behind one of the hotels in town and broke his leg and spent the night laying in a rocky drainage. He couldn’t walk and he could barely talk as he had been yelling for help all night long to no avail. Finally someone up above heard his pleads for help mid-morning and they called 911. The first on scene was The Garberville Fire Protection District. The Volunteers showed up with a back board and a rescue basket and the general thought was 4 people could pack him to the freeway this proved quite difficult. So one of the firefighters who had mountain climbing experience rigged a rope to the basket (the predecessor to today’s Technical Rescue Squad) and with the help of some community members the victim was raised out of his cold nightmare experience to a waiting ambulance. As of that moment I had an epiphany, well two actually. First these Volunteer Fire Fighters really do make a difference and help people in need, sometimes in desperate situations. And second it was a really great feeling I got from helping people in need. At that point I was hooked I asked to join the Garberville Fire Department at the next meeting.
Fast Forward to today The Garberville Fire Protection District still helps people every day. In 2022 the volunteers responded to 8 vegetation fires, 5 structure fires, 7 vehicle fires, 99 other type fires, 20 traffic collisions, 148 medical aids, 4 general hazards, 137 public service calls for a total of 428 calls, the total for 2021 was 323. Approximately 70% of those calls were out of the 700 acre district that the GFPD is funded from. The area Garberville FPD responds to is over 36,000 acres 98% of that area is un-funded.
With the requirements and certifications that First Responders and Fire Departments are required by law to have & maintain and obey, the fire district as we know it Must Expand! If you need to check the facts they are available at www.friendsofGFPD.com With the Number of Calls increasing every year the path the GFPD is on is not sustainable. As someone who is a volunteer Fire Fighter I know first hand that a healthy well funded Emergency Response team like the new Garberville Fire Protection District will be, with the passage of Measure U is paramount to the survival of our community. You need us and we Need U, VOTE YES ON MEASURE U!
Shawn Masterson
President
The Friends of GFPD