ANNOUNCEMENTS

FIRST AID/CPR TRAINING

Due to the COVID crisis, we are not able to hold in-person training.  If you need a CPR or First Aid certification we can provide you with information to take the class or classes on-line.  After completion of the on-line portion, an in person skills testing is required. San Juan EMS has graciously decided to provide the in person skills portion to Lopez folks.  Contact our office for more information.  

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8/28/20

Lopez Island Fire & EMS (LIFE) recommends you have at least one air ambulance subscription. Island Air (IAA), Life Flight (LF) and Airlift Northwest (ALNW) memberships are all available here on Lopez Island and San Juan County.  There are a variety of factors that go into LIFE making the decision of which resource to use. We do our best to take your subscription information into consideration (if you only have one of the three carriers, IAA for example), but at the end of the day, we will use the best available resource that provides the urgent care your condition presents.

It is vitally important that you or a member of your household know what air ambulance service you are subscribed with and be able to convey this to the EMS Team treating you.  It is also helpful to have it prominently posted in your residence.
 

Caveats:

-Lopez Island Fire & EMS (LIFE) is not responsible for any costs associated with air ambulance services. We do not specifically endorse any of these air ambulance services. We do encourage island residents and long term part timers to have air ambulance coverage. LIFE does not receive any reimbursement or economic support from the air ambulance providers.
 

- If you don't have a health insurance plan, you cannot be part of a membership program. The air transport providers bill your primary insurance first, and anything not covered by your primary insurance will then be covered by your membership coverage.
 

- If your primary insurance declines to pay for the flight (as one insurer was doing in 2019) your membership will NOT cover the flight. That being said, all three air ambulance services have been advocates for patients that have been declined by their primary insurance.  The denials have decreased significantly and this insurer has withdrawn from San Juan County as an insurance provider.
 

- If weather conditions are too poor and the three air ambulance services refuse the flight based on weather conditions, we will contact the US Navy SAR Team, or US Coast Guard for helicopter transport. These are paid for by your tax dollars, and do not bill for patient transports. If those resources are not available, we may transport via boat to Friday Harbor, or the mainland as a last resort.
 

- To the best of our understanding, IAA, ALNW, and Life Flight DO NOT currently have a subscription reciprocity agreement.  I would call ALNW/IAA/Life Flight to confirm their reciprocity, as agreements can
change. 

-Most of our air ambulance transport use Airlift Northwest and Island Air Ambulance.  However we have used Life Flight this summer due to the other services not being available.
 

Questions:
Lopez Fire: 1-360-468-2991
Island Air Ambulance: 1-360-378-2376
Airlift Northwest: 888-835-1599
Life Flight: 800-982-9299

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FIRE INSURANCE RATING

Your homeowners insurance rate can include several factors, one being the "Community Protection Class Grade" that is determined by The Washington Surveying and Rating Bureau (WSRB).  These surveys are done for all areas.

Every 4-5 years we (Lopez Island) have an evaluation done by the WSRB.  In May 2016 they determined our Protection Class rating as "7".  The Protection Class rating level is 1 to 10, 1 being the best.

There are several areas that are evaluated and rated:

1) Water Supply

2) Emergency Communications

3) Fire Safety

4) Fire Department

For more information on the Community Protection Class Grade you can visit https://www1.wsrb.com/