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host sam shad, a no holds barred political forum. from the "nevada newsmakers" broadcast headquarters, here is sam shad. >> back on "nevada newsmakers," we are always pleased to welcome back to the program marsha berkbigler, she is on the washoe county commission, pleasure to have you back on the program. >> thank you. >> interesting story about a week or so ago, of all places gulack, the volunteer fire department all resigned, including the chief. >> uh-huh. >> this is a tradition across nevada, of volunteer fire departments, what is going on? it appears they are not the only area having problems. >> no, it is not. several volunteer departments are not happy with the plan that we've put in place and largely that is because we are required by federal law to make sure that everybody is trained in a certain manner and that meet a certain physical requirement. and frankly, that's not been the

they have not met the requirements and that is okay in some respects, but we have concerns. my son is a volunteer fireman in minnesota, extremely well trained. i really looked at the whole issue of what happens if there's a volunteer fireman who goes in, not well trained and the professional firemen come in and have to save the victims and now they have to save the volunteer firemen, also. so that was one of the problems. another problem, they weren't keeping the equipment in the kind of condition that tm, truckee meadows fire equipment should be kept in. and so we put into place, we being the truckee meadows commission, the board, put in place requirements for redoing our volunteer firefighters and to making sure they came up to a certain standard of training and physical conditions and making sure that the equipment, which is supplied by truckee meadows,

washoe county, the equipment in each one of the places were up to the standard they needed to be if they were working in the regular tm professional firefighters. >> response times have always been a huge issue for your fire department, what is it for a volunteer fire department? i would assume it valid to be different. >> you know, i don't really know what the actual time is that they're supposed to be there. but remember volunteer fire departments are all in their own communities. so in gurlock, they just had responsibility for gurlock and it is not owned by tm, by the way. tm only goes to, i think, 20 -- mile marker 22 verdi, gulocksowned by washoe county fire department, as is silver -- not silver springs. >> silver knoles?

let the north valley one. verdi one. we had one gown in galenathat, group had disbanded also. we're in the process right now of rebuilding it. and we're doing that, we've had several people nought gurlock who said to us, we want to apply, we want to be on the volunteer fire department. john has been out there. he took the chief along with him, chief moore, john slaughter, county manager. they went to verdi, to check the equipment and ambulance. the most important thing is that ambulance, there is not a doctor's office out there, most of the time that paramedic gets called for, i have a cold or the baby fell down and skinned his knee. my shrt not acting right. that paramedic goes in and does it. we have interim frr six-week basis while we get everything in space, we have two firefighters from truckee meadows, who are

and then they come back, somebody else goes up there. there is going to be two firefighters up there all the time. one is a trained paramedic. on every truck we have a trained paramedic. they have now gone through the ambulance and updated all of the supplies in the ambulance and brought all of that back up to where it needs to be there is a full-time paramedic up there now. so it is fine right now. >> okay, you know the next question is, so what kind of cost are we looking at to get it? >> well, it's a huge cost if we move truckee meadows out there f. we put that as a full-time position for truckee meadows, it is a large cost, i believe chief told me probably in the range of increase $150 to $300,000 a year to do that. of course, we will have to -- we won't do it for each station, really only looking at verdi, the rest of the stations we're within the footprint of truckee meadows. they are already in partnership with truckee meadowss.

concern, i said verdi, i mean gurlocktis so far out. >> what is interesting, we had the commissioner on here a few weeks ago, one thing he talked about, this device, actually perform cpr, 100 chest compressions a minute that we're going to start the pilot program this year. do you think that technology such as cpr machine, will have mitigate some of those response times and not having a huge staff in the rural area? >> i think it will, but of course, that is not going to help the kid with the cold or kid with the broken arm or that kind of thing. >> those aren't life-threatening, though. >> no. it does make a difference what this paramedic has been doing out there. he has been or she, i think is actually been both, going and saying, okay, you don't have just a cold, have you pneumonia, this sounds like pneumonia, we need to transport you in.

biggest concern out there, yes, i think that piece of equipment we're doing the pilot program is an excellent idea. commissioner hart purchased out of discretionary funds, he purchased out of discretionary funds it for his sdrkt to start the pilot program in one area. >> we could see this throughout truckee meadow? >> we could throughout truckee meadows. >> let me ask you this, it seems to me we should be talking to renowned northern nevada medical central americas the other medical centers and saying there appears to be a business opportunity for you, so it is not reliant on just volunteer paramedics to take care of health community the side of verdi. >> verdi, i don't think is a problem, gurlock is the area that is the problem. verdi is close enough to the nearest -- >> i read that. >> help center. i really don't think verdi and

north valleys area are the problem. the real problem is gurlock. so what do we do in the long-term? send it would go paramedics or firemen from tm out there is a clearly short-term solution. what we're actually looking at is possible putting on one full-time staff person who would be essentially the volunteer oversight person and he would be full-time employee of washoe county, rather than going through tm, largely because of the cost associated with trying to run tm out there. this would be a full-time person with washoe county that would coordinate the volunteers and make sure that our department is up to speed, the equipment right. >> we're running out of time. bottom line is volunteers who all resigned, will they come back? >> some of them are already. >> let's take a break. more with the commissioner when we come back. >> "nevada newsmakers"

sponsored by >> closed captioning of "nevada newsmakers" is brought to you by the nevada trucking association, trucking moves america forward. >> now back to "nevada newsmakers" with sam shad. >> back on "nevada newsmakers," we continue our conversation with marsha berkbigler, she's on the washoe county commission. lance gilman on the first show of the new year, of course he's excited about switch and tesla. he tells me he's working on another deal and tesla and switch have picked up 4000 acres between the two of them. he's working on another deal bigger than both of those combined. >> correct. >> bigger than 4000 acres. >> uh-huh. >> what, if anything, can you share about the project and what whats and concerns do you have? >> he hasn't been very forthcoming with the washoe county commission on the issue either. >> he's not allowed to. >> yeah. these deals are always kept close to the vest until the very

opportunity to do a tour and he took us up on top of a hill and showed us the area and it is a huge, huge valley area, if this deal comes through, it will be very large. obviously it's a concern to washoe county because of schools, housing, transportation issues. those issues, water always will be a concern. >> let's talk about schools really quick. that is a big issue, overcrowding in schools, especially schools in south reno. i know there is tremendous amount of overcrowding there, we will have a valid initiative to -- >> we are, i'm sitting on that committee. >> you're sitting on the committee. people say, we had an opportunity to do this with assembly bill 46 that the commission said no to so now it is going to the voters. what do you think the chances are we'll get additional funding to help pay to rehab the schools?

be interesting how we're going to sell it to the voters. >> and especially now. you talk to people, a lot of people are upset over the tracy davis contract that was negotiated in the paper sdchlt that make your job more difficult? >> i continuing does. two elephants in the room, if you will. one is that the governor passed a lot of taxes, signed up a lot of taxes in place that relate to education. i'm not sure the average citizen understands that just because it relates to education it doesn't relate to repairing the buildings and the two are from separate pots of money. >> fixing overcrowding. >> or fixing overcrowding problem. i'm not sure the average citizen recognizes that and i think the second, we have to be clear about the second elephant in the room is not just tracy davis situation, but the other things that have happened on the -- by the board of school district board. i mean, i think, you know, a lot

some things they've done. you know -- >> can i throw out free advice here? >> yeah. >> don't confuse the two. the school board and the superintendent are an issue, fixing the schools and raising money -- >> i totally agree. >> is a separate issue. if you try to co-mingle the two. >> i don't think that is what they want to do, that is what is in people's minds. >> i know, but if you have a marketing campaign, you can't have -- >> correct. >> we will fix the school board. >> i 100% agree. i think marsha is 100% right, that is the elephant out there. >> i agree. if you are having a marketing campaign. you cannot be focused on the children. >> absolutely. >> let's face it, the whole thing in reality is not about the egos of the school board, the ego of the school superintendent and her job that she received, but it's about taking care of the kids and putting them in safe school where is they can learn. >> absolutely that is absolutely the issue.

i know that is plenty of time to discuss this. historic agreement with truckee meadows trucking agreement, that ensures reno's future. >> it does. >> for a long time to come. >> yes. the best possible thing that could have happened, so satisfied we finally got that through. >> the first time i interviewed senator reid in the early '90s and he was working on that, had the pieces put together, but it's been 25 to 30 years of lawsuits since then. so whether you are supporter of senator reid or not, incredible accomplishment. >> thank goodness for him. >> wow. >> couldn't have done it without him. >> pleasure to have you on the program. >> thank you. >> good to see you. >> "nevada newsmakers" is brought to you in part by the tahoe reno industrial center,

>> this is "nevada newsmakers." >> back on "nevada newsmakers," we have a great power pundit

district attorney, marlene lockard and andrew mackay, executive director of the nevada franchise auto dealers association. so press releases were flying yesterday afternoon after judge wilson ruled and dan schwartz came, we are going to judge the opinion preventing state treasurer from implementing esa program. thousands of students and distressed parents may see plans upended. our office is discussing options with the attorney general to honor the nevada constitution command and the legislature intention to improve children's education. your thought mrs. gammuck? >> this is become so convoluted, i'm not sure where we're at. i understand what happened there, but i've been a real strong supporter of anything we can do to improve the education in the state because i'm getting sick and tired of seeing our state rated one of the bottom states in the country continually. a lot of that, most comes out of

scomplagz trying to take care of it. washoe county is one of the top. we have that problem to deal with and i hope this gets >> right. my question to you then would be are you in favor or not of the esa's as they have been generally acknowledge? ed >> weren't we just talking about side stepping some questions. >> marline, you won't side step that, is for darn sure. >> i clearly believe judge wilson ruled correctly. and but this is the first step, this case will go to the supreme court. i don't think there is any question about that. but on -- i continuing is crystal clear, the constitution is crystal clear and i love dan schwartz press release that says, as the constitution demands. the constitution demands just the opposite of what he is saying.

>> and this is heading to the supreme court, andy, where is it go something >> first all, marline is right, irrespective of judge wilson's decision, when i preface, i haven't read his decision, so it is going to end up in front of the supreme -- irregardless, am i in favor of esa? absolutely. because of the fact that i think it enables certain people with not the means to put their children into private school, the ability to do that. that being said, talk about the structure of the esa's in front of the court. but generally i'm in favor of it. but to ducktail off what marline said, the treasurer is correct in that he has a mandate to follow what the legislature enacts. so he has done that. and secondarily, constitution does mandate that you have a right to education in this

the question -- >> you do get education in this state, but now we're into another entitlement, what makes every child, whether in height, socio economic, high or low, entitled to the schooling of their choice, private school or anything else? we're getting so much into this entitlement stuff and becoming more socialized, it will turn into socialist state if this keeps up. >> what this boils down to is subsidy for the wealthy. $5000 allotment during the session, we were assured this is going to help the at-risk child. number one, the $5000 doesn't cover the transportation for the kid in neighborhood clear across town to get to private school and number two, $5000 does not cover the average tuition in the private school, where wealthy

from 5000 dollars if all i'm getting as at&t -risk parent $5000 that doesn't get through the school year. >> there are those that would argue and say plenty of schools would cover the $5000 sglchlts look at the statistics so far of preenroll sxment interest. very few of them will help minoritys and at risk kids get out of failing school. it isn't happening. >> you want to respond? >> well, first off, cover cost of transportation are not the fact of the matter, it is $5000 that the folks don't have. that is a big chunk of money. i don't care whoever you are, but that being said, marline does raise a good point with respect to the utilization for lack of better term of esp's and who applied and i think that

talk about it, but just general fact of look at utah. throwing money at education is answer, utah would be dead last in the country and they're not. you have a family in it. you have it so on and so forth. >> you are the issue here is esa, not money and education. this $5000 is going out the backdoor of the public education system, that's a different debate. the constitution is clear, that education money has to be used for the public school system, not to subsidize wealthy parents. >> i don't think it is written exactly that way. dick, did you want to follow-up on this? >> i'm sitting here thinking about this and what is the budget for this? proposed budget? >> enough to cover the kid which is is why 100-day rule got put in there. >> we are taking out of public education when it is absolutely necessary at this time.

the governor just gave the money for the schools on this last session on the tax increase, but then you have the now they're coming in with a bond issue to build schools, we know we're short, behind. >> that is a different topic. >> you still got so much money, like your budget at home. >> state money will not go toward building schools and repairing schools in local school districts, that is where we have to leave it. more to come on the topic, trust me. we'll be right back.

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