2 fire districts seek $3 fee for services
RUSSELLVILLE — Voters in the Belgreen and Frog Pond fire districts will decide May 19 whether to approve a $3 monthly fire protection service fee.
The fee would be collected annually with property tax payments.
Franklin County Probate Judge and Commission Chair Barry Moore said the referendum questions will appear only on ballots for voters who live within the two affected fire districts.
Moore said the county will use multiple ballot styles during the election, with ballots assigned based on voter precincts and districts through the voter check-in system.
According to Moore, election workers will receive additional training related to the referendum questions, and voters who expect to vote on the fire district measures should verify the issue appears on their ballot before casting it.
Belgreen Volunteer Fire Department Chief Donald Taylor and Frog Pond Fire and Rescue Chief Robert Shook Jr. said the fee would help departments face rising equipment, fuel and operating costs. “Everything is going up, and fuel cost is a big thing,” Taylor said. “Every time we go out on calls, there are a lot of fuel costs, and the price of equipment is outrageous.”
Taylor said Belgreen currently relies heavily on fundraisers and voluntary dues to continue operating.
He said the department currently requests $50 per household annually in voluntary dues.
“We only get about a third of the people responding this way,” Taylor said, “and it’s difficult to keep an up-to-date list so everyone receives a request.” He said Belgreen would stop sending voluntary dues requests if the proposed fee is approved by voters.
“All the other fire departments in the county have already got this, except for Belgreen and Frog Pond,” he said.
Taylor said departments are also finding it difficult to replace outdated turnout gear.
“The average cost for one set of turnout gear for one person is probably around $3,500 right now,” he said. “Our turnout gear is out of date. Just about everybody’s is, and we’ve got some new members that don’t have turnout gear.”
Taylor said departments struggle to secure grant funding.
“It’s hard to get any grant money right now from the state,” he said. “They’re not giving that out, and it’s hard to get anything like that.”
Shook said Frog Pond is facing many of the same equipment challenges.
“All of our turnout gear is really expired, out of date,” Shook said.
He estimated the cost to fully outfit one firefighter with all new gear and equipment to be $5,000. Shook said Frog Pond ordered new turnout gear in March.
“We still haven’t received them,” he said, adding the estimated delivery timeline is now “mid-June to July.”
He said Frog Pond also faces vehicle and rescue equipment needs.
The department lost a truck in a wreck last year, Shook said. He said a “brand new quote” would be around $485,000.
That figure, he said, would only cover the truck itself and would not include firefighting equipment needed to outfit the vehicle.
“You’re looking at probably $600,000 to $650,000 for a brand-new truck with the equipment,” he said.
Shook also said Frog Pond currently does not have extrication equipment used to remove trapped victims from vehicles after crashes.
“We have to rely on other fire departments to come and help us with extrication if somebody gets pinned in the vehicle,” he said.
Both departments also respond regularly to medical emergencies in rural areas, according to the chiefs.
“Probably 80% to 90% of our calls are medical calls,” Taylor said.
