Tax Would Beef Up One-Man Fire Stations

Tax Would Beef Up One-Man Fire Stations

Voters in Central will consider whether to raise property taxes for fire protection when they go to the polls on Saturday, Dec. 6.

The Central Fire Protection District is proposing an additional 4.25 mill tax to fund adding more firefighters.

Currently, Central has five fire stations.  Three of them are one-man stations, meaning that they have only one firefighter on duty 24 hours a day.

In an interview with the Central City News, Central Fire Chief Bill Porche said the funds would be used solely to increase the number of firefighters on duty at those three stations to two firefighters on duty 24 hours a day.

Porche said one firefighter is very limited in what he can do by himself, and he must normally wait for additional personnel to arrive.

Porche said none of the funds raised by the tax could be used for raises or other expenses, but would be limited to adding personnel at the three stations in question.

Porche said the Central fire district currently serves about 35,000 residents, 10,000 homes, 800 businesses, and property valued at more than $1.5 billion.

The fire department estimates the owner of a $200,000 home would pay about $60 a year.  The Central City News estimates a $300,000 home would pay about $125 a year.

Porche said Central would still pay the lowest property tax in the parish for fire services.

Porche said Central’s Class 3 fire rating saves property owners about $14 million a year in insurance premiums. He said the passage of the tax would probably not improve the district’s fire rating. However, the failure of the tax could ultimately have a detrimental effect on the rating, he said.

One of the reasons the fire stations are short-handed is the fact that the district can no longer rely on volunteers. The additional training requirements of firefighters and the extensive time required for volunteers has resulted in few volunteers being available to assist the department.  Most of these requirements are imposed by the state and cannot be changed locally, Porche said.

 

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