Baker County Volunteer Fire Department Fire Protection Assessment Update

Baker County Volunteer Fire Department Fire Protection Assessment Update

Purpose of this Discussion The purpose of this presentation is to provide information about the fire assessment update proposed to be effective October 2018. Property owners were mailed letters dated July 18, 2018 notifying them of the proposed fire assessment and the public hearing held on August 7, 2018. Citizens and businesses receive the fire assessment billing on their annual property tax bill.

Fire Department History Formed in 1979 Eight separate fire stations, each considered an individual volunteer fire department. Consolidated in 1985 The individual volunteer fire departments all merged under the Baker County Volunteer Fire Department. What we have today - 8 Volunteer Fire Stations: Southeast Macclenny, Twin Bridges, Cuyler, Taylor, Glen St. Mary, Baxter, Sanderson, and Olustee

MAP OF VOLUNTEER FIRE STATIONS

Volunteer Firefighter Recruitment and Retention BCVFD currently has 36 volunteer firefighters, of which only 12 could be considered active. Historical Peak: 120 volunteer firefighters. Average time a volunteer firefighter stays with an agency is two years. Why the drop in volunteer participation? State regulations require volunteers to have 412 hours of Firefighter 1 training. Possible dissatisfaction with current conditions. We re always seeking new volunteers!

$273,520 36.67% Personnel $98, 596 (1 full-time employee + Benefits), and Volunteer Stipend 39.77% Operating $110,547 $10,720 communication Svcs; $21,500 Fuel, $10,827 Utilities, $7,000 insurance, $19,900 Supplies, $39,100 repairs to vehicles & equipment, $1,500 memberships & publications. 23.55% Capital Outlay $64,377 CURRENT BUDGET FY 17-18 $32,877 Replace outdated equipment (Bunker Gear, SCBA, pagers, State Physicals); $7,500 roof repair, $24,000 Bay extension for Station 20

HOW IS THE $273,520 FUNDED? In 1985, the Board approved a fire assessment to help fund the purchase of new fire trucks. At merger, a Fire Assessment was created at $25.00. In 2008, the Fire Assessment was raised to $30.50 per residence. Fire assessment for Non-residential rate is tiered per square foot: 0-4,999 = $58 5,000-14,999 = $113 15,000-49,999 = $278 50,000-59,999 = $443 60,000-79,999 = $663 80,000 + = $1,103 As the years went by, the same fire assessment was used to fund the entire operations of the fire department, not just to purchase fire trucks.

INCREASE IN 911 FIRE DEPARTMENT CALL LOAD OVER THE YEARS 2017 1,366 calls (avg 3-4 calls per day) 2016 1,237 calls 2015 1,076 calls 2014 1,063 calls

CURRENT EQUIPMENT 8 stations built approximately 1985 21 Apparatus: 5 Fire Engines 1989 (29 years) 2 Fire Engines 2007 (11 years) 1 Fire engine 1996 (22 years) 6 Water Tankers 1997 (21 years) 2 Quick Attack Vehicle 1999 (19 years) 5 Support vehicles 1987-2009 1-1987 2 2006 2-2009

POPULATION SERVED Total County Population 27,937 Population Served by County Fire 21,375 7,079 housing units 580.49 square miles

County vs. City Comparison Baker County Fire $273,520 Budget 21,375 population $30.50 fire assessment 7,079 Housing Units; 1,238,008 Non residential 580.49 Square Miles 1 Paid, 36 volunteers 8 Stations 21 Apparatus City of Macclenny Fire $1,060,629 Budget 6,562 Population $200-400 property tax equivalent 2,248 Housing Units; 1,830,921 Non residential 4.74 Square Miles 14 Paid, 5 Volunteers 2 Stations 11 Apparatus

STATION 10 (121 SOUTH)

Front door frame. Underneath the door. STATION 10 (121 SOUTH)

Any renovations that have been done to this station were financed by the volunteers themselves due to lack of funds in the department budget for station maintenance. STATION 10 (121 SOUTH)

The front of the station. STATION 10 (121 SOUTH)

STATION 10 (121 SOUTH) Walls.

STATION 20 (121 NORTH) There is limited room for personnel. All the furniture at every station is either purchased or acquired by the volunteer firefighters.

STATION 20 (121 NORTH) Bathroom

STATION 30 (CUYLER)

STATION 30 (CUYLER) Interior.

STATION 30 (CUYLER) Interior ceiling of the station Wall and ceiling

The bathroom Kitchen Counter STATION 30 (CUYLER)

Station 70 Sanderson Provides fire protection and emergency medical services to the western end of Baker County (including Olustee). The first floor consists of two vehicle bays that house one fire engine, one rescue unit for EMS; and a small bathroom. The second floor is the living quarters for EMS personnel. Current Fire Engine 70 is being replaced with a larger, more capable surplus engine recently purchased from Jacksonville.

Sanderson Fire Station The front of the station is 28 feet from the edge of US 90. Engine 70 is 27.4 feet long. It s future replacement, a surplus Jacksonville engine, is 31 feet long. When the current engine is pulled fully out of the bay, traffic on US 90 has to move over into oncoming traffic.

Sanderson Fire Station The former office for the volunteers had to be removed to fit the new, larger engine, leaving them with no space. Why do we need a new engines? Current one is 29 years old. Replacement parts for fire truck are becoming difficult to find. Frequent repairs needed. Older design of fire engines has little compartment space.

Sanderson Fire Station The Sanderson area has no water system sources such as hydrants which requires BCVFD to have tanker trucks with water. A three bay station is needed in Sanderson so a tanker can be relocated to western Baker County to provide water supply. Tankers currently respond from the station in Glen St. Mary.

Railroad tracks are approximately 56 feet from the rear of the Sanderson station. Can t renovate in this location

Sanderson Fire Station Leaking Roofs. Estimated cost of repair Sanderson roof: $15,000

Sanderson Fire Station Ceiling of apparatus bay Exterior of the station

The County desires to make improvements to the Fire Department. We need a plan! In March 2017, Board of County Commissioners proposed forming a Fire-EMS Vision Committee consisting of several members of the community to come up with a plan to improve the fire department, personnel, equipment, and stations over a 5-15 year period, and to estimate the costs of these improvements. The Fire-EMS Vision committee met for 6 months and submitted their recommendations in a report that was presented to BOCC on 9/5/2017.

Trevor Nelson-Chairman, Citizen Representative Jack Baker-Vice Chairman, Insurance Representative David Richardson-Emergency Services Director Steve Marfongella-County Fire Chief Kennie Downing-County Manager Juanice Padgett-Mayor Glen St. Mary Jim McGauley- Baker County Press Ray Bailey-Century Ambulance Service Bill Lowery-Baker EMS Paramedic, Union Representative Sharon Padgett-Citizen Representative Firefighters and EMS employees from County and City of Macclenny Other private citizens COMMITTEE MEMBERS

VISION PROPOSED IMPROVEMENTS 1. Merge County Fire and County EMS into one Fire/Rescue Dept. 2. Hire full-time firefighters to supplement the volunteers. 3. Have FT-manned fire stations in Sanderson, Glen St. Mary and Cuyler. The other stations volunteer-manned. 4. Replace fire trucks and other apparatus 5. Additional funds needed to equip the new employees. 6. Renovate/Replace the Sanderson and Glen St. Mary (Central County) fire stations. Cuyler station after Year 10. 7. Make much-needed repairs to outlying fire stations. 8. Decrease 911 call response time. Goal is 8 minutes. 9. In time, improve ISO ratings which means lower homeowner s insurance in some areas. Current rating = 6 and 9.

The Vision calls for 3 manned fire stations that can reach any point in the County as seen by the three circles below. The Sanderson station first, then a new Central County station around year 5, and the Cuyler fire station after Year 10. The other 5 stations will be repaired and used as volunteer stations equipped with fire engines and equipment ready for any emergency.

New fire station would be similar to the Lake Butler fire station below:

We re Applying for Grants and Seeking other funding alternatives to keep expenses down. However, grants are not guaranteed. In 2017-18, the County: 1. Applied for Firehouse Subs grant 2. Applied for Assistance to Firefighters Grant 3. Applied for Staffing for Adequate Fire & Emergency Response grant (SAFER) 4. Instead of purchasing a new fire truck, the County purchased a surplus fire truck from City of Jacksonville for $15,000.

What will I see in Year One of the new assessment- 2019? We re following Year 1 of the recommendations made by the Fire-EMS Vision committee: Hire 1 2 Full-time firefighters Make some repairs to outlaying fire stations Apply for a grant to fund new Sanderson fire station Re-chassis the oldest attack truck in the inventory Lease-purchase two fire engines and two tankers for the Sanderson and Glen St. Mary (Central County) fire stations. During downtime, firefighters will perform inspections, test equipment, arrange contracts for dry hydrants with residents, training, and maintain all fire stations and equipment.

HOW DO WE MAKE THESE IMPROVEMENTS HAPPEN? We propose an increase in the fire budget from $273,520 to $782,136 Requires an increase in the current fire assessment to fund the proposed budget. The County hired an assessment attorney, Bryant Miller Olive & Stantec to guide us through the process and propose a fair and legally defensible formula for residential and non-residential property.

Calls for Service Methodology Call Incident Data: 3 Years of Data from Jan 1, 2015 Dec 30, 2017 Includes only Fire or First Responder calls to real property EMS/ALS calls excluded and used for EMS Fee Calculation Fire Protection Calls for Service Update Residential 72.40% Non- Residential 27.60%

Proposed Budget and Fire Assessment Calculation Projected Maximum Rates for 5-year Plan: Fire Net Revenue Requirement FY 2019 FY 2020 FY 2021 FY 2022 FY 2023 Budget Projected Personnel Services $ 222,372 $ 227,931 $ 433,629 $ 444,470 $ 455,582 Operations & Maintenance $ 179,320 $ 183,803 $ 188,398 $ 193,108 $ 197,936 Fire Operating Budget $ 401,692 $ 411,734 $ 622,027 $ 637,578 $ 653,518 Capital Outlay $ 344,200 $ 344,200 $ 344,200 $ 344,200 $ 344,200 Total Fire Annual Expenses $ 745,892 $ 755,934 $ 966,227 $ 981,778 $ 997,718 Less: Interest and Misc. Revenues $ (1,000) $ (1,000) $ (1,000) $ (1,000) $ (1,000) Net Fire Budget $ 744,892 $ 754,934 $ 965,227 $ 980,778 $ 996,718 Plus: Statutory Discount & Conting$ 37,245 $ 37,747 $ 48,261 $ 49,039 $ 49,836 Fire Net Revenue Requirement $ 782,136 $ 792,681 $ 1,013,489 $ 1,029,817 $ 1,046,553 % Change 1.3% 27.9% 1.6% 1.6% Residential Rate per Dwelling Unit $ 80.00 $ 81.08 $ 103.67 $ 105.34 $ 107.05 Non-Residential Rate Sq Ft $ 0.17 $ 0.17 $ 0.22 $ 0.22 $ 0.22

Proposed Fire Assessment - Non- Residential Square Footage Count of Properties Current Fire Bill New Bill - Sq Ft 1,000 35 $58 $170 2,000 33 $58 $340 3,000 29 $58 $510 4,000 19 $58 $680 5,000 13 $113 $850 10,000 17 $113 $1,700 15,000 5 $278 $2,550 20,000 2 $278 $3,400 25,000 1 $278 $4,250 30,000 2 $278 $5,100 35,000 0 $278 $5,950 40,000 0 $278 $6,800 45,000 0 $278 $7,650 50,000 0 $443 $8,500 55,000 1 $443 $9,350 60,000 0 $663 $10,200 65,000 0 $663 $11,050 70,000 0 $663 $11,900 75,000 0 $663 $12,750 80,000 + 56 $1,103 $13,600

QUESTIONS?