OPINION — I am writing regarding the proposed tax rate increase for Hurricane Valley Fire District. I know there is a lot of opposition regarding this matter. Several recent articles and letters have been published against the proposed increase. I would ask: Is there ever a good time to increase taxes?
I must disclose that I am an employee of the Hurricane Valley Fire District; however, this letter is strictly my personal view and not from any official capacity as an employee of the district. I am also a homeowner and resident of the district. I feel that something needs to be said to help others better understand the reasons for the proposed increase and to be a voice in support of such an increase.
First, I want to say I am thankful and proud to serve the communities within the Hurricane Valley Fire District. I have been employed here for approximately 5 ½ years, but I have been involved with fire/EMS service as a volunteer in the region for over 20 years.
There are multiple facets that need to be looked at to really understand what is going on presently. We all know the area has grown immensely, and demand for service has also grown to the point where relying primarily on volunteer emergency response models is no longer viable to meet the demands. The problem of not getting enough volunteers is not only a local issue but is being felt across the nation. There are many factors contributing to this issue.
To become a firefighter and/or EMS provider, there are minimum standards that must be met for certifications, whether you are paid or a volunteer. Initial certification training courses are a very large time commitment. Once the initial certifications are obtained, there are ongoing minimum hours that must be met to maintain the certification levels. The more certifications obtained, the more continuing education hours are required. Keep in mind – these are absolute minimums.
Maintaining proficiency requires even more training. Time for training, emergency response, reports, restocking supplies and making sure vehicles and equipment used are ready for the next call all combine to be hundreds of hours per year. One ambulance response for an EMS call takes a minimum of 1 ½ – 2 hours from the time of dispatch to the time you are back in quarters and available for the next call for help. (Dispatch, response, time at the scene, time to transport to the hospital, time at hospital for transfer of care and clean ambulance, time to travel back from hospital, restock supplies and complete reports).
One response for a fire may be a commitment of several hours to complete. Couple all of that with what is nearing 5,000 calls for service annually, one can see that volunteer response can no longer provide for the level of service demanded by the public. The volunteer still has to meet the needs of employment to provide for family, expenses, etc.
Some of the basic functions of any government are to provide for infrastructure, roads, education, sanitation and public health and safety. Other aspects sometimes are involved, such as recreation for quality of life and other things, but the main focus should be on safe infrastructure, transportation and public safety. None of this is without expense.
One thing that people often see as excess at budget time is Public Safety; that is until you or your loved ones need that service. Fire departments are really like an insurance policy: You get what you pay for but hope you never need it. Fire departments are designed not for what is but for what could be and therein lies the challenge of finding the right balance between readiness and cost. A higher level of response capabilities often translates into lower home and business insurance costs.
Fire departments in our county have a good history of cooperating and helping each other in times of need. No one department or community can always be able to handle every emergency event that comes along on its own. Mutual-aid and automatic-aid response agreements are in place to provide for the times when local resources are already committed or additional help is needed no matter the type of event.
As a volunteer responder from a neighboring community prior to my employment and residency here, I have been a part of that aid response and have seen other agencies respond into the Hurricane Valley District numerous times to help with fires, floods, crashes or even to cover a station while local crews were all out. Over the last 10 years or so that has been an ever-increasing reality, and at some point the question has to be asked: At what level is that OK without asking for the local citizens to pay for more so it does not put an undue burden on our neighbors?
Now fast forward a few years. As volunteering is down dramatically, the Hurricane Valley Fire District was able to bring on additional employees to help fill the needs of the community. I am one of those fortunate enough to have been offered an opportunity to turn a passion into my profession. I work with some of the most dedicated people in the fire service. The vocation provides the satisfaction of fulfillment in taking care of people on what could possibly be the worst day of their life. It is hard to describe to others who have not experienced it. As glamorous as it may seem from the outside, this is still a job that requires hard physical and mentally demanding work. We are often asked to be the jack-of-all-trades in emergency services.
As much as I love the job and the fulfillment it brings, there comes a point where shift after shift of seeing sickness, neglect, injury, death and heartbreak along with many sleepless nights and missed family events finally takes a toll, and the joy of the work begins to disappear. And our families feel it. Such has been the case for many of the employees who have worked here for the last several years, as staffing has remained at a minimum, and calls for service have been increasing.
I would go home from a shift totally mentally and physically exhausted. The job is good, but far from high-paying income. Many of us work multiple jobs to make ends meet just like so many of you do. The cost of living has way outpaced wages in our region in general. How do you compete with the private sector when starting wages are higher at a fast-food restaurant, with no certifications required, than for a new firefighter/EMT? Or starting wages at a local distribution warehouse are more than those of a new firefighter/paramedic?
Our department has not been able to keep up with the growth of the area we cover. I know for a fact that many times over the last several years we have been so busy that there was nobody immediately available should my family or your family need help because all crews were already on responses. It was very scary and stressful to know that the next call could be delayed because we did not have the staffing to go to the next call.
This year the district added a significant number of new employees, which has been a great boost to being able to be there for you, the citizens, when the call comes in. It has also been a great boost to the morale of the current employees, knowing we can better meet the demands placed on us. The population and recreational vacation is still growing in our area. Geographically our coverage responsibility is approximately 650 square miles. The department needs increased funding to maintain and improve the response levels.
Public comment has noted that the district now has more employees than the St. George Fire Department. I will point out that this is not a valid comparison as St. George does not provide ambulance transport services. In order to compare Hurricane Valley Fire to St. George you would need to count not only the firefighters in St. George but also the paramedics and EMTs employed by the contracted ambulance service provider.
While nobody ever wants to pay more taxes we also have to ask: What level of service do we want as citizens? If we want a high level of service we have to fund it somehow. The district has been doing a phenomenal job of trying every avenue possible to keep service high and operating costs low, but sometimes we as taxpayers must step up if we want more. The district administration has asked for the truth-in-taxation for several years now in order to take smaller steps to keep up with the growth but has been repeatedly told by the County Commissioners, “Not this year.” It has now grown to the point where a large increase is needed to keep up.
I am asking you as fellow citizens to please look at the big picture before you get all up in arms over the proposed percentages. What is being asked is simply to get it back to a levy rate that was already agreed to several years ago. It did not come to this overnight.
From my perspective as a resident and tax-payer, I believe this proposed increase is justified and reasonable to provide for the adequate essential government function of public safety that we all want. I know we will continue to do the very best possible with what we have for all of you every single day we show up to work. Please help us make it possible to make it the best for you.
Submitted by KEVIN J. BARLOW JR., Hurricane
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