Malvern Volunteer Fire Departments Need Your Help

Matt Boster

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Posted by: Matt Boster
Date: Oct 21 2014 3:45 PM

            The Malvern Volunteer Fire Department would like to ask the people of the Malvern community to help us pass the fire fee that will be listed on this year’s ballot.  Below is a list of reasons why we should pass this fee, and what could happen if it does not pass; also included is what the bill is for as well as what can and can not be charged.

           

            Who will be in charge of the fire fee money and determines what the money spent on?

The fire fee money can and will be only spent on equipment and education for the fire department. The accountant that over sees our tobacco tax money will be the one that is in charge of overseeing the fire fee money. There will also be a committee that will be in charge of making sure the money is not spent of anything else besides: equipment, equipment upkeep, and educational material.

 

How much is the fire fee?  

            The fire fee would be $30 per residence and, as the bill has been written, the residence must be livable. The fee will NOT be charged on: barns, sheds, or pump houses. Only homes and businesses are included in the fire fee.

 

Why should you vote in favor of the fire fee?

            Without the fire fee, it will be very difficult for the fire department to maintain a low ISO rating. An ISO rating helps with your home owners insurance cost less. As of this year, our ISO rating lowered to a 4 from a 6, saving many residents in the community much more than just $30 on their home owners insurance.

           

When do I pay the fire fee?

            The fire fee is $30 annually that will help us better training our fire fighters as well as maintaining our equipment. Most importantly, it will help us better serve our community.

 

Current operating budget and some of the expenses that we have in our small volunteer fire department

 

Current yearly operating budget:

 $18,000.00

 

Cost that comes out of the yearly budget:

 

Ÿ  Insurance- $4,500

Ÿ  Workman’s compensation-  $1,000

Ÿ  Power bill for 1 year- $600

Ÿ  Vehicle upkeep (at minimum)- $4,000

                            Total- $10,100

 

 

 

That leaves us with approximately $7,900 to put towards properly equipping our personnel with fire fighting gear.

 

Total coast to equip 1 person: 

 

Ÿ   1 pair of pants- $687.95

Ÿ  1 jacket- $1014.95

Ÿ  1 pair of boots- $214.95

Ÿ  1 helmet- $192.95

Ÿ  1 pair of gloves- $68.95

Ÿ  1 nomex hood- $35.95

Ÿ  1 hand held radio- $550.00

                    Total- $2,762.70  just for 1 person

 

Additional Costs

On top of that when we have to replace our SCBA (self contained breathing apparatus)  current cost- $6,017.95

 

The air bottles we have are only good for 15 years, cost of 1 replacement

bottle- $1,054.95

 

We also currently have a 1977 model  fire truck we neither have the money to put toward making it street safe, nor the money to buy the equipment to stock the truck. Just a rough estimate of what it cost to equip 1 fire truck according to standards would be approximately- $30,000.

 

If the fire fee passes it would raise our operating budget up to $40,000 a year.

 

Finally, if it wasn’t for the town of Malvern providing assistance last year there is no way that our ISO rating would have gotten down to a 4, an ISO rating which saves the people in the community approximately 20% on their home owners insurance a year. Saving the members of the community more than $30 a year.

 

 

            Also the Malvern fire dept. would like to thank the town of Malvern and the members of our community that have been donating $1 on their water bill each month, and the members of the community that have made donations to the fire department in general.  Thank you very much for everyone’s support, your continued support is appreciated.

 

Thank you for your time and consideration

NOTE from Matt Boster

I have been a volunteer firefighter for 27 years now in Houston County. Houston County has already voted and PASSED this fee for their Fire Departments, With out it some would have had to close to the doors. The same can be said about Geneva County Fire Departments. Please vote wisely. $30.00 per year is a SMALL price and will save you big bucks in the long run.

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