Measure M will have a prominent spot on the November ballot, and plenty of conversation leading up to the vote.

Measure M proposes imposition of a half-cent increase in the county sales tax for paying firefighters in the seven local fire departments.

A PowerPoint presentation of the figures associated with this ballot measure was made at Monday night's Jackson City Council meeting by City Manager Mike Daly, with occasional technical assistance from Jackson Fire Chief Mark Morton.

All of the local fire departments have been subjected to more stringent training requirements. Volunteer firefighters are called upon to donate not only the time needed to answer calls for help, but additional time to attend classes and seminars to fulfill the heightened requirements.

There was a time when virtually all employers were aware of the importance of giving whatever time was needed to volunteer firefighters. Jackson has three firefighters, including Chief Morton, working at Meek's Lumber, which allows volunteers to answer calls immediately. "Most volunteers," Morton said, "have to take vacation time or sick leave to answer fire or emergency medical calls."

The number of calls to the Jackson Fire Department has climbed well above the 500-call threshold recommended for establishment of a fully paid staff of firefighters. "We are on pace to reach 900 calls this year," Morton said. He also said that 63 percent of the calls to JFD are for medical assistance.

Councilwoman Connie Gonsalves, a AAA fire insurance agent, warned that "passage of Measure M is vitally important."

"We could face higher insurance rates," she said. "Call volume is increasing. As this continues, we need to increase manpower."

Gonsalves later went into some detail about the state fire insurance rating system, explaining the correlation between manpower and insurance rates. "Manpower is one of the many factors used to determine ratings," she said. "If we lose manpower but call volume goes up, our ratings could fall, potentially increasing premiums."

The ratio between the number of calls and the number of firefighters is used to calculate levels of danger for insurance purposes.

The Jackson Fire Department, Sutter Creek Fire District and Amador Fire Protection District have been working together in "the corridor," the stretch of Highway 49 from Jackson all the way north to Plymouth. Although fire officials are reluctant to speak in any formal way of consolidation, some strides are being made in that direction by these three entities.

Passage of Measure M and the revenues that it will provide for paid firefighters may add greater impetus to such cooperative efforts.