The Westside Rural Fire Protection District is seeking an increase of 47 cents per thousand-dollars of assessed property value from its current local option levy during the May primary election.  The new local option levy would be for 97 cents per thousand.  Westside Fire Marshal Doug Kelly says a key part of the proposal is to have faster emergency response times and better cardiac arrest survival rates.  He says they currently are only able offer coverage by a fully-trained and licensed on-duty Firefighter/EMT from 7 a.m. until 5 p.m. each day and they want to get to 24/7.  Currently volunteers cover nighttime calls, and they are not always available.  Westside Fire responded to 473 emergency calls in 2023, of which three-quarters were medical emergencies.  The district’s current total tax rate, combining permanent tax rates, bonds, and levies, is the second lowest about Hood River County fire districts at $1.28 per thousand.