Ballot Measure Z Would Keep Ambulances Running in Lone Pine for a Decade

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

8/22/2026

Ballot Measure Z Would Keep Ambulances Running in Lone Pine for a Decade 

Lone Pine, CA – The Lone Pine Fire Protection District is backing a new ballot measure to extend the voter  approved district Parcel Tax which ran from 2014-2024. The proposed Measure Z Parcel Tax would provide  funding for EMS operations for an additional ten years, at $100 per parcel, per year; the same rate that  property owners previously paid until the parcel tax’s 2024 expiration.

The Lone Pine Fire Department currently provides ambulance services for the residents of Lone Pine, the  Alabama Hills, Pangborn, Whitney Portal, Keeler, and Darwin, while also providing regular mutual aid support  to the Olancha-Cartago Fire Department. The department took over EMS operations in 1994, after a private  company abandoned the ambulance service citing their inability to make the district profitable. The Lone Pine  EMS operation is vitally important to southern Inyo, being home to the only emergency room in the area. LPFD  EMS averages 360 calls annually, which is the second highest call volume in Inyo County, after only Bishop.  This year LPFD has already run 202 EMS calls as of August 22.

Key points about Measure Z:

• Parcel Tax is applied only to parcels within the LPFPD boundary
• $100 per parcel, per year for ten years
• Revenue will be used solely to offset the cost of EMS operations; hiring, training, ambulance  maintenance, purchasing medical supplies and lifesaving equipment

“Measure Z is essentially a continuation of the parcel tax that our emergency medical service has relied upon  since 2014, which expired in 2024,” said Chief Carl Bursell. “This funding is vital to our ambulance operations  and ensuring that we are able to respond efficiently to all calls and save lives. We hope the community will  continue to support us in our mission by voting for Measure Z.”

For more information about the Lone Pine Fire Protection District and its services, visit www.lonepinefire.org or follow us on Facebook or Instagram @lonepinefire 

About the Lone Pine Fire Protection District 

Founded in 1964, the Lone Pine Fire Protection District provides critical fire and emergency medical services  to the town of Lone Pine, neighboring communities, and the towns of Keeler and Darwin. The district’s area of  responsibility spans US Highway 395 from Ash Creek in the South to George Creek in the North, as well as  Highways 136 and 190. Staffed by dedicated volunteer firefighters and EMTs, the department operates under  the guiding motto, “Strength, Honor, and Compassion,” ensuring the highest level of service and care to its  community.