Rich Escamilla picked up his ringing telephone one Sunday last month. On the other end was a pollster asking his views on Measure M, which seeks a half-cent sales tax to fund paid fire staff in Amador County. Lest he came off ambiguous during that afternoon survey, the outgoing District 1 supervisor wanted to make one thing clear at the Sept. 30 board of supervisors meeting: "I just want to go on record, I do support Measure M."

Escamilla is far from alone. With broad support from local firefighters, and the blessings of elected officials and groups like the Amador Association of Realtors, Measure M may accomplish what Measure L fell just short of two years prior: establishing a paid firefighting presence in Amador County.

The need has never been greater, say those who support the measure. With the county growing and the pool of willing and able volunteers shrinking, proponents are leaving little to chance this year.

On Tuesday, fire chiefs in Jackson, Sutter Creek, Ione, unincorporated Jackson Valley and the chief officers of the Amador Fire Protection District dropped off letters to the editor backing Measure M. The Amador Fire Protection Authority - a joint powers group representing the county's seven fire agencies - has crafted a careful outreach campaign that sends fire chiefs and volunteers to their own communities to explain the need to local governments and their residents. On Monday, Sutter Creek Fire Protection District Chief Butch Martin appeared before the Sutter Creek City Council, where he made a presentation on Measure M.

District 3 Supervisor Ted Novelli has also been involved in the campaign push as well, "because we need it," he said. "We need it very badly."

Jim McCart agrees. The Amador Fire Protection District chief was involved in the 2006 effort and, while the process was mostly the same, the plan this time around is a little different. Rather than taking a countywide approach to funding fire personnel, the seven agencies agreed on a regional plan that has districts and departments divvying up funds based on population and call volume, and then partnering with each other to stretch resources. The measure language itself does not address how funds would be allocated.

Right now, departments in Jackson and Sutter Creek are planning to pool revenues with the county's district, with all three sharing overlapping coverage areas. The Ione Fire Department and Jackson Valley Fire District are planning a similar partnership. The simple reasoning is that, alone, the sales tax revenues won't stretch as far. "This was the best plan with the money available," McCart said.

The seven firefighting entities in the county have worked together for more than two years to hammer out an agreement on equitable sharing of possible tax revenues, something they weren't able to accomplish two years ago. In 2006, both Ione and Jackson Valley weren't part of the push. This time, both are firmly on board, though not everyone is happy.

Officially, the Lockwood Fire Protection District is supporting Measure M, but it has been notably absent from the outreach campaign. The 3 percent share of sales tax revenues it would receive the first year was enough for former board member Jackie Vaughn to turn her back. "I put my heart and soul into Measure L last time," she said.

If approved under the current agreement, the district would receive $50,000 in seed money and $63,000 the first year, barely enough to fund one employee, according to Vaughn. By comparison, Jackson Valley would receive $50,000 in seed money and more than $174,000 its first year. The Lockwood district had requested 6 percent of the projected $2.4 million in revenues the sales tax increase is expected to bring in. Under the agreed upon disbursement formula, the AFPD would get 48 percent, Jackson 17 percent, Sutter Creek 12 percent, Ione 10.5 percent and Jackson Valley 8.5 percent.

"Obviously, a smaller district may not feel they're getting as much as they need to fund their department," McCart acknowledged. "We would like to (have) had more money, but this is likely the most equitable formula."

McCart's hoping Lockwood will end up joining his district's partnership with Jackson and Sutter Creek, noting the consolidated effort would blanket one geographical area with five stations instead of four.

The parties can revisit the distribution arrangement each year.

Measure L, which competed with a transportation sales tax measure in 2006, missed the needed two-thirds voter majority by a little more than four percentage points. That threshold remains in play this election, and whether Measure M will fare better as the lone local ballot measure remains to be seen.

"Yes, I think it will be an advantage. We did come very close in 2006," McCart noted. "We were very fortunate the governor didn't get his one cent sales tax."

The economy is in rougher shape than it was two years ago, and distressed county residents may resist boosting their own sales tax by half a cent, even if it supports paid firefighting and emergency medical services in a rural area vulnerable to wildfire and experiencing longer response times.

"It's certainly not the best of times economically," McCart admitted, "but if we don't get it done this year, it may not happen."

Novelli is sympathetic to the county's large senior population, one that is a little more resistant to tax increases, "but what they don't understand - and we're to blame for most of it ... is that a sales tax is only on certain items." Besides, he noted, the vast majority of calls handled by local fire agencies are medical aid calls, a significant portion of which, Novelli estimated, involve the elderly.

"If each district gave up half a percent, I would support it because we do need paid fire staff," Vaughn said.

For others, the time is now. Jackson has seen its call volume spike 44 percent since 2001. Martin told the Sutter Creek council his district received 525 calls last year, 85 percent of them for medical services. Fire chiefs also cited stricter state and federal requirements, the strain on volunteers who hold down day jobs, the increased time commitment of training and and the expense of equipment upkeep.

"We just don't have the personnel resources we need," Martin said. "Our volunteer staff is remarkable. Each member is highly trained and capable. But every volunteer fire fighter is earning a living at another job. We must bring our fire protections levels up a notch and the only way we can do that is by adding paid staff."

Novelli spoke about the strain on volunteers who catch a call, race from work to their stations, get their gear and head out as quickly as they can. "They put out 110 percent all the time," he said. "We will always depend on volunteers."

And, in fact, Measure M will only supplement local volunteer crews with paid daytime firefighters, not replace them. McCart doesn't see Measure M solving the county's emergency service conundrum, just making it a bit easier to evaluate. The sales tax is just one of the revenue streams needed to fund paid staffing, he said. Other sources are the Community Facilities District special tax and Proposition 172 revenues. None of these sources alone is sufficient, he explained. "The volunteers have supported us enough. Now it's our turn to support them."

Jerry Budrick contributed to this report.