By Katie Banning
Did you know that it can cost up to $600 for just one vehicle to respond to a fire call? Just imagine if you needed more than one! Most homeowners and rental insurance put a $500 cap on emergency fire service and taxes won’t cover it, but for only $145 a year, you could have peace of mind and potentially save thousands of dollars should you have a fire.
If you are in the North Bench Fire District and haven’t paid your annual membership dues, fear not! They are in the mail, and you should be receiving them soon.
North Bench Fire District wants to extend a huge thank you to all of the volunteers who folded, stuffed, labeled, and stamped thousands of letters! What was expected to take days, took a matter of hours.
Vice President Casey West sums it up nicely, “Your dues are the lifeblood of North Bench Fire District. No, we do not receive tax money as some other districts do and are solely funded by your dues and donations.
As the largest fire district in the county, every dollar matters. What do your contributions go to? Facilities upgrades and maintenance, equipment, vehicle maintenance and replacement, thousands of hours of training, supplies, and everything else in between to make sure that when you call, we’re there in a timely manner.
The North Bench Fire Board of Directors and Chief Ken Baker are steering this district in the direction of excellence in service. What was the past, is only that. From equipment upgrades, replacement and repair, and an exuberant group of new firefighters as well as returning highly experienced firefighters, we are launching into a new era and standard of service.
Included in our 1–5-year goals, is continuing education and training for our firefighters, upgrading and replacing aged and non-certified equipment, performing neglected maintenance and repairs, and beginning the first phases of planning and design of the future department building/community center.
Those who attended the meeting this last fall are aware, that our vehicles and equipment had been neglected for a number of years. At one-point last fall, North Bench put our only remaining fire engine out of service due to the culmination of that neglect. The new Board of Directors and Chief Baker authorized sweeping appropriations to not only bring that engine back into service but replace another engine as well as purchase many sets of certified SCBA’s, turnouts, and other much need gear and equipment. Our firefighters are our most important asset, and their safety is paramount.
Every dollar counts in our volunteer district. It is the Board of Directors duty to raise the money needed to fund a highly functioning, highly trained, and reliable fire department. The Board has set the bar, and we need your help to reach it. Historically, the district has been underfunded, either through the misconception that our services are paid through taxes, refusal to pay, or people just don’t know. Thank you to those who contribute annually! Our budget, assuming a majority of the membership paying dues, is at a minimum $200,000 short. That amount goes a long way in a volunteer district! If you have new neighbors, or neighbors that aren’t aware, please let them know that their dues are an important part of answering that call for help.
Did you know that our ability to effectively respond to your emergency directly affects your insurance premiums? It does. A number of factors are evaluated within the department such as having certified SCBA’s, the condition of vehicles and equipment, and training can raise OR lower what is called an ISO Rating. Insurance companies look at an areas ISO Rating to determine the ability of its emergency services to respond and effectively reduce the occurrence of a claim or total loss, and DIRECTLY affects the amount you pay for insurance.
A poor ISO rating can raise your insurance rates, and a great ISO rating could lower your insurance. Our districts ISO inspection is coming shortly. Your dues directly affect the capabilities of this district to ensure a lower ISO rating, which is a HUGE deal with most of our district being in a wildland/urban interface.
We hope to see you at the annual meeting February 22nd at 10 a.m. at Station 1 up by 3-Mile next to Iron Mike’s”