Whidbey Examiner, April 21, 2016

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Examiner The Whidbey

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www.whidbeyexaminer.com

Thursday, April 21, 2016

VOL. 21, NO. 37

Community rallies to help ailing musician By Kate Daniel Staff Reporter

Photo provided

John and Beth Tristao on their honeymoon. The community is raising funds for the Tristaos to help ease some of their financial ails caused by a medical emergency.

Within the Whidbey community, John and Beth Tristao are famous for their generosity and dedication to neighbors and friends in need. But after a medical emergency depleted the couple’s finances, community members and friends are rallying to raise funds to aid the couple who has helped so many. Recently, John Tristao suffered a life-threatening cardiac event, known ominously as “the widow-maker.” His aortic valve was torn from the top of his heart into the kidneys; he simultaneously had an aortic aneurysm, also known as an aortic aneurysm dissection. Tristao was airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, where he underwent emergency surgery.

Friends like Judy Lynn attribute his survival in no small part to the expert care he received. However, the family’s insurance provider had ended its ties with Harborview shortly before the incident, thus leaving the family to foot a bill that is, as Lynn wrote in a press release, “off the charts.” In addition, he has had to undergo a number of subsequent necessary treatments and tests. Due to the severity of the injury, Tristao has also been unable to work for four months. Lynn and numerous others are cooperating to hold a fundraising event to help ease the family’s financial strain, and allow Tristao to heal stress-free. The event will be from 1-6 p.m. Sunday, May 1 at the

See, HELP, page 12

Grant sought to repair wharf fire suppression system

High in the sky

By Megan Hansen Co-Editor

Everyday employees for the Port of Coupeville have to check the compressor on the wharf’s fire suppression system. A series of pipes within the system in the historic structure have leaks that have already been previously patched. If pressure isn’t maintained within the system, it will trigger alarms and sprinklers. And if the wharf’s fire suppression system goes out, the wharf would be shut down. It’s an ongoing issue port commissioners

have been dealing with for several years. Commissioners last week were discussing the possibility of applying for .09 rural economic development funds from Island County to replace the system, an expense of upwards of $100,000-$200,000 depending on the type of system. The problem is, said Damon Stadler, facilities manager for the port, a new system cannot be installed until the wharf’s substructure is fixed and the foundation is level. “The pipes have to be level,” he said.

See, WHARF, page 12

Fire district signs on for pilot volunteer program By Ron Newberry Staff Reporter

To address a diminishing candidate pool in an aging community, Central Whidbey Fire & Rescue has evolved over the years in how it recruits volunteer firefighters. Yet, like other volunteer and combination fire service agencies across the country, Central Whidbey still struggles to find prospects. Jerry Helm, the captain in charge of the department’s recruitment and retention, is

Photo by Ron Newberry

The operator of a powered parachute glides over Ebey’s Landing at sunset Sunday night. The ultralight aircraft typically travels at an air speed of 25-35 mph and can be up in the air for about three hours. This journey capped a beautiful day of unseasonably warm weather on Whidbey Island Sunday, which continued through the early part of the week.

hopeful that a unique opportunity will bring new tools to tackle a decades-old problem. Central Whidbey Fire & Rescue was one of 10 fire service agencies in the United States recently selected to participate in a two-year pilot program aimed at helping to recruit volunteer firefighters. The International Association of Fire Chiefs is sponsoring the program, which addresses the nationwide need of volunteer firefighters at the local level, placing an

See, PILOT page 12


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