Taylor said the key is being able to show people the need and the benefit to them. Rob Taylor, Northeast Benton County fire chief, said the department had to work hard to get the increase approved. That increase was approved in a July 9, 2013, special election in a vote of 298-294. The department asked for an increase in the emergency medical services dues from $40 to $100 per household. According to County Clerk Tena O'Brien, the most recent vote on a dues increase was sought by the Northeast Benton County Fire Department for its emergency medical services district.
Several other departments have their dues collected by the county.
#BEAVER LAKE PROJECT OFFICE ISO#
"If the ISO ratings drop a couple of points, the majority of people in the district could save more than this," Whisenant said of the $125 yearly increase in dues. If the department improves its status as ranked by the Insurance Services Office, insurance rates for residents could drop.
#BEAVER LAKE PROJECT OFFICE UPGRADE#
Whisenant and Redwine said the upgrade made possible by the dues increase may have other benefits that will lessen the cost to homeowners and businesses. "The critical time is that first four minutes." "If your heart stops, in four minutes your brain stops," Redwine said. Whisenant said the average response time for the department's coverage area is just more than five minutes, which Redwine said is the most critical period for many medical emergencies. Redwine and Whisenant said the full-time personnel will provide both medical and fire coverage. "We average more than one a day, and it has been up to nine." "Three out of every four calls are medical," he said. Redwine said hiring the firefighter/emergency medical technicians reflects the changing nature of the department's role. The department would also need to modernize its facilities to house full-time personnel on a 24-hour basis. John Redwine with the department's board of directors. The department wants to upgrade its service by hiring a core of three full-time firefighter/emergency medical technicians, according to Whisenant and Dr. Nationally, volunteer fire departments are down by about 11 percent."
It's a regional and a state and nationwide problem. That is a problem that other departments are seeing. "But our calls are up by more than 40 percent. "We've had about a 65 percent reduction in active volunteers," he said. He said that at the same time the population has been growing, the department's active membership has been declining. Whisenant said the department covers about 7,500 residents in an area of about 30 square miles east of Rogers. "That increase was supposed to last us five years," he said. The department last increased its annual dues about a decade ago, he said. The dues are listed on the annual property tax statements and collected by the Benton County collector's office.Īccording to Fire Chief John Whisenant, the department needs to increase revenue to provide service to a growing area. The annual dues are levied on each residence and each business with a structure in the department's service district that can be occupied. The ordinance, which would call for a vote on increasing the annual dues from $75 to $200, will be up for its second reading when the Quorum Court meets at 6 p.m. Prairie Creek, AR - Officials with the Beaver Lake Volunteer Fire Department have begun the process of setting a special election on a plan to increase the annual dues so the department can increase its level of service.Īn ordinance calling for a July 12 special election has gone to the Benton County Quorum Court for the required three readings.
0 kommentar(er)
