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Islands’ eekly W
VOLUME 38, NUMBER 32 • AUGUST 11, 2015
CPR training: How you can save a life By Cali Bagby Editor
It all started with a camping trip and ended with a life hanging in the balance. While on vacation, Ben Heege had no idea that he would saving a man’s life with the use of CPR. “He would have done the same,” said Heege. “It feels like one human taking care of another.” On July 23, Heege and his family headed to Spencer Spit on Lopez Island to enjoy the beautiful island scenery. During their stay they visited a friend who lives part-time on the island.
When the Heeges arrived at the home of Joey Johnson they exchanged greetings. But within minutes of their arrival Johnson collapsed. They would later learn that Johnson was suffering from cardiac arrest. Johnson’s wife dialed 911 and Heege began to give CPR (Cardiopulmonary resuscitation) using techniques he had learned 10 years ago. “I felt scared for him and his family, but I felt like [CPR] was the one thing I could do,” said Heege trying to recall what he was thinking as those minutes passed. “I went into the zone, I thought I was doing the right thing.” After 12 minutes of CPR, Lopez EMS
arrived on the scene and continued resuscitation efforts, including defibrillation, intubation, IVs and various cardiac medications before flying the patient to a mainland hospital. “Without his help and initiating CPR we would have had a much longer shot at saving this man’s life,” said one of the paramedics on the scene. Johnson was released from the hospital last week and is expected to make a full recovery. “It basically came out of nowhere,” said Johnson, who has been athletic and healthy his entire life. “It was less terrifying to me at the time because I don’t remember it.”
Johnson said it’s hard to comprehend the whole ordeal at this time, but that he is grateful to Heege and the EMS teams whose efforts saved his life. His wife plans on getting CPR-trained in the near future. For Heege, the day seemed fated. He happened to be at Johnson’s house at the right time. If Heege had not been there to perform CPR, Johnson may not have survived. “I guess it’s a little hard to fully comprehend, but it’s definitely a good feeling,” said Heege. To receive CPR training on Lopez Island, call the fire station at 468-2991. CPR classes must have at least five people enrolled. The cost is $20.
Washington ferry fares to increase this October By Meredith M. Griffith Sounder contributor
Ferry fares will be going up again this fall. The Washington State Transportation Commission voted unanimously on Aug. 4 to raise ferry fares, spurred on by a directive in the 2015-2017 state transportation budget that requires Washington State Ferries to generate an additional $8.1 million between July 1, 2015, and June 30, 2017. “I think people understand that the legislature sets the expectation for how much ferry users need to contribute to ferry operations,” Paul Parker, the commission’s deputy director, told the Sounder. “The question facing the commission is, how is that $8.1 million raised?”
Beginning on Oct. 1, car and driver ferry tickets will cost 2.5 percent more, and passenger tickets will cost 1 percent more. The fares are scheduled to see an identical increase again in May 2016. The commission expects the fare hikes to help generate the $357 million required by the 2015-17 state transportation budget. The commission’s stated goal is to increase walkon ridership over vehicles by raising passenger fares less than vehicle fares. This differential fare increase was proposed in 2013. In October 2013, vehicle fares were raised 3 percent, while passenger fares only rose by two percent. In May 2014, vehicle fares rose another 2-and-a-half percent, while passenger fares rose just 2 percent.
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“Growing the gap between vehicle and passenger fares is following the Washington Transportation Plan and the WSF/WSTC Joint Recommendations on Operational and Pricing Strategies,” noted the commission in its Aug. 4 presentation. Parker said that most Ferry Advisory Committee members publicly opposed the differential fare increase policy, but said “their recommendations didn’t mesh with the approach that was taken.” When queried about islanders who often depend on their vehicles to retrieve substantial quantities of essential goods like food from the mainland, Parker answered, “It probably works a bit differently for those in the central Puget
Sound area than in the San Juan Islands. The commission certainly understands the differences between the San Juans and Vashon as places where people are totally reliant upon the ferry system to get on and off island.” But in defense of the differential policy, he added, “It’s obviously very expensive to build vessels that can carry cars; there is limited capacity for vehicles, but there is always excess capacity for people, so the legislature has directed the ferry system and commission to look at ways to increase the utilization of the passenger deck. That’s the rationale.” While fares for most will rise in October, a few drivers will get a small reprieve: the current surcharge for
over-height vehicles under 22 feet in length will be dropped. Also, qualifying disability vehicles from 22- to 30-feet long will be allowed greater leeway, with surcharges waived for any over-height vehicle features needed to accommodate disabilities. Height regulations for other large vehicles will actually tighten by five inches in May 2016, when the over-height fare threshold for vehicles 22- to 30-feet long will be reduced from the current 7 feet, 6 inches, to 7 feet, 2 inches. This change will help WSF to better allocate available space, because the Jumbo, Super, Olympic and Issaquah-class ferries all have a lower-wing height limit of between 7 feet, 2 inches and 7 feet, 4 inches. On these vessels, vehicles just under 7 feet, 6 inches must be loaded in the vessels’ taller spaces, but don’t yet pay extra for the privilege. The commission took public input during three outreach meetings in early July on Friday Harbor, Whidbey Island and Bremerton. The Friday Harbor meeting was streamed live in real-time on the Internet for observation, and questions were taken via email during the meeting. The WSTC also held a virtual, online meeting, and took additional input during the final Aug. 4 hearing. The San Juan Island event saw just three members of
the public and three county commissioners; Clinton and Bremerton had 12 attendees each; and one person attended the online meeting and the final hearing. As of Aug. 4, the commission had received a total of 32 online comments and one phone call. According to the commission, comments included opposition to the fare increase, and opinions that walk-on passengers, island residents and/or regular commuters should pay lower ridership costs. The commission also notes that this is the third consecutive two-year budget proposal to enact twotiered increases in October and May, as seen in the 2011 and 2013 ferry fare hikes. To share your thoughts, visit the Voice of Washington State website at www. voiceofwashingtonstate. org/. The site is designed to gather public input through online forums and survey panels, and the commission says ideas and data will be shared with the Washington state governor and legislature. Other key contacts are WSTC Executive Director Reema Griffith, at (360) 7057070 or griffir@wstc.wa.gov; and WSDOT Ferries Division Planning Director Ray Deardorf, at (206) 5153491 or deardorf@wsdot. wa.gov. For more information on the WSTC, visit www.wstc.wa.gov.