Volunteers fighting fires, finances

Members of the Lee County Volunteer Firefighters Association have spent more than two years wondering when to ask county residents about paying more for fire services.

Their first attempt was voted down in November 2006. It would have raised the fee for county residents to $45 annually — $20 more than the current amount — and then $3 more a year for the next 10 years.

A high voter turnout was expected for the 2008 general election, but association members opted to bypass that chance because of the slumping national economy.
Now, each department is struggling
financially.

Pete Idsall, association president and Farmville Volunteer Fire chief, said any increase in the fire fee may seem too much considering the current economy, but then again, it could actually save people money.

If Lee County’s volunteer fire departments had more money, Idsall said they could pay for more and better equipment and more specialized training for volunteers. That would enable them to respond to calls more quickly and more effectively, which could lower their Insurance Services Office (ISO) ratings. That would ultimately reduce homeowners’ insurance costs.

Idsall said improving the ISO rating from a 9 to a 7 could result in a $300 to $400 annual savings for a household. Considering that, he said, a $45 annual fire fee would be a minimal investment.
A number of factors are considered in determining an ISO rating. Southwest Volunteer Fire chief John Hoar said they can influence some factors with their limited funding, but a house’s proximity to a station and fire hydrants are beyond their control.

Angie Curran, deputy chief for Friendship Firefighters Association, said the Insurance Services Office said Friendship needs to have 13 class A pumper trucks, a ladder truck and seven stations to “adequately” cover its area. She said the department has five stations and five class A pumper trucks, resulting in an ISO rating of 7/9.

The7/9 rating means the 7 rating applies to people who live within five miles of one of the stations and are within 1,000 feet of a fire hydrant; all others have a class 9 rating.

Hoar said Southwest has two stations, but “fire hydrants, for us, are a luxury. We always go to calls assuming we won’t have one.”

Farmville volunteers were in a similar position until recently, when the number of hydrants increased as new housing developments were constructed in the area, Idsall said.

Lee-Chambers Volunteer Fire Department has the best reported ISO rating among the seven Lee County volunteer departments with a 6. With higher budgets, full-time staff and more equipment, Idsall and Hoar weren’t surprised to learn the ISO rating for the Auburn Fire Division is 3/9 and the Opelika Fire Department is 2.

If the county association doesn’t try to increase the fire fee again, Idsall said it will have to consider alternative ways to generate revenue for each department.

“We have to grow,” he said. “We have to change the way we do things.”

Lee County’s seven volunteer fire departments cover approximately 500 square miles. Six are funded by the $25 fire fee collected from each household in its district. The amount has not changed since it was first imposed in 1989. Lee-Chambers is the only department to receive funding from the county water authority, Idsall said.

Those districts with more households collect more money, and yet it’s still not enough, fire officials say.

“The fire fee is enough to cover our costs as they are now, but we can’t make any improvements” said Curran.

With a growing population in Smiths Station and construction of a new high school, Curran said they will need another fire station and more equipment “to adequately provide services to the jurisdiction served.”

Friendship has five stations now, but no ladder truck, which she said costs more than $500,000.

Grants are available, but as Hoar said, applying often means competing against the other county volunteer departments, and having to make a 5 percent match can hamper an annual budget. He said his entire budget was drained the one year Southwest was awarded two grants.

“There’s a lot of things that depend on money, but we’ll get by,” Hoar said. “We’ll still get the job done.”

Idsall said Farmville doesn’t collect nearly enough money from residents to make a 5 percent match for a $300,000 to $400,000 grant to pay for what they really need — a new brush and tanker trunk. Instead, they apply for smaller grants where they can afford the match and add equipment to lesser trucks to fit their needs.

Even then, there’s no guarantee they will get the grant. Idsall said it can be hit-and-miss, but it’s a chance every department has to take.

“We’re always looking for money, for ways to be self-sufficient,” he said. “But bake sales and barbecues don’t cut it any more.”

SAMPLE COSTS FOR OUTFITTING A FIREFIGHTER

Cost estimates for firefighter cutout

Helmets — $176-400, includes specialty helmets, the lighter versions as well as the heavier classic versions.

Masks (Self Contained Breathing Apparatus including air bottle, mask, motion/heat sensor and frame; sometimes a voice amplifier.) — $3,850-$4,850.

Hose — $120-$550 depending on the size and length of the hose

Gear — $1,550-$2,250, includes turnout coat and pants, hood, extrication gloves, fire fighting gloves and flashlight.

Boots — $90-$360 (basic rubber versus leather)

Radio — $225-$575 each (Cost could jump to $3,550 each in order to communicate with Opelika which operates on a different trunking than the county and Auburn.