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| West Bryan County Fire Proposes Formation Of Fire District: Imagine sitting at your dining room table, enjoying a nice meal with your family. Suddenly, a loud beeping noise comes from the pager attached to your hip, dispatching you to a house fire, or to a motor vehicle accident with people trapped. Life changes suddenly, you leave the house, headed to an unknown emergency situation, with an unknown outcome. You drive to the station, thinking to yourself, what have I got? What am I going to see when I arrive at the scene of this emergency? You pull into the firehouse parking lot, arriving with your brothers, all of whom are thinking the same thing. You climb on a big red truck, and head out into the unknown, prepared to do whatever it takes to save a total stranger’s life, or help them in their critical time of need. You handle the emergency, return to the firehouse, get all the equipment back in service, and return home to cold food. And you do it all for absolutely free. This is the life of a volunteer Firefighter. This is the life of a volunteer Firefighter for West Bryan County Fire Rescue. Not only are you tasked with responding to emergency situations, but you are expected to train for hours and hours every month, you are expected to spend hours participating in community relations events, expected to work on all the equipment to keep it in service, and of course keep the firehouse clean. Lets not forget your regular job, and spending time with your family and friends. West Bryan County Fire Rescue covers the western portion of Bryan County, covering an area of approximately 110 square miles. We respond to structure fires, vehicle fires, brush fires, motor vehicle accidents, hazardous materials incidents, downed power lines, weather related emergencies, and medical calls to assist EMS. We operate out of two stations, one located approximately 3 miles west of Mead on Highway 70, and one located in the town of Mead. For 2006, we responded to 124 calls for service, and members spent an estimated 4000 man-hours training and doing other activities outside of emergency responses. The Department is currently funded by selling “memberships” to property owners of the area, and by donations and a small operating grant from the state of Oklahoma. The “membership” or “dues” system works by property owners paying a yearly membership fee to the fire department for protection of their property. This does not mean if you are not a dues payer that we will not respond to your location, it simply means that if you are a dues payer we will respond to your emergency without sending you a bill for the response. We greatly appreciate those property owners who support their Fire Department by paying their yearly dues, and giving those much needed donations. The underlying problem with the “dues” system is that only about half of the property owners pay. This is a common problem throughout our County, and throughout the United States. Those property owners who do support the Fire Department are also supporting the property owners who choose not to. The ultimate goal of West Bryan County Fire Rescue is to be the best Fire Department in Bryan County, and to provide the best level of service to the citizens of our response area. The only way for us to achieve this goal is to increase our funding. The formation of the proposed Title 19 Fire District would greatly help us with our quest for funding. The formation of a Title 19 Fire District is actually a pretty simple process. 25% of the property owners in our defined response area would have to sign a petition to the County Commissioners of Bryan County for the formation of the proposed district. This information is submitted to the County Commissioners for their approval, and then it is brought to a vote at the next general election. Citizens of the district would vote YES to forming a Fire District, and as long as 60% vote YES, the Fire District is successfully formed. The successful formation of the proposed Fire District would entail placing a 10 Mill Levy on the assessed property tax values within the defined response area. It would also mean that the “dues” system is abolished for all but a few property owners in our area. Those properties not included would be those owned by Government entities and industries such as railroads. The ultimate question on everyone’s mind is, “What would it cost me as a home owner?” For the overwhelming majority of property owners in the district, it would cost about the same as you pay in dues every year. For some property owners, it will be much cheaper than what you pay in dues, and for others, it will be more expensive. The amount you pay is based solely on your assessed property value. The next big question is of course, “What will I get out of it?” The answer is greatly improved fire protection. With the successful formation of a Fire District for West Bryan County, we will immediately begin working to lower our ISO rating. For those that don’t know, your ISO rating is basically a grade for the level of fire protection in your area. The ISO grade is how your homeowner’s insurance rates are calculated. The majority of Insurance companies use ISO to base their rates. Calera Fire Department has recently been in the news due to the lowering of their ISO rating from an 8 to a 6. This saves citizens in that area an average of anywhere from $200.00 to $800.00 per year on their homeowner’s insurance rates. Calera Fire Department has done an excellent job in increasing the level of service that they offer to their citizens. West Bryan County Fire Rescue is currently rated as an ISO Class 8. Our goal is an ISO Class 5. With an increase in funding this is an attainable goal. The other great benefit to the formation of a Title 19 Fire District is to the Firefighters of the district. With the successful formation of a Fire District, we would be able to offer our Firefighters access to the Oklahoma State Firefighters Association, entitling them to pension benefits. This would mean that after 20 years of service with the Fire Department, they would be able to receive a small monthly pension for their years of service to you. Its not much, but it’s a great way of saying thank you to those who risk their lives for you, and ask nothing in return. The support of our citizens is crucial to the success of this proposal. West Bryan County Fire Rescue is YOUR Fire Department, have pride in it and support it. We, as Firefighters, are here to serve YOU, whatever your needs are. All we ask in return is your support. We hope that you expect the best from your Fire Department, and we intend to exceed those expectations. If you have any questions, or would like more information about a Title 19 Fire District and what it means to you, including what your cost would be, please feel free to call the Firehouse and someone will get back with you as soon as possible. Thank you all for your time, and we look forward to your support! Matt Green Fire Chief West Bryan County Fire Rescue (580)920-2808 e-mail: chief@wbcfirerescue.com |
| Title 19 Fire District Information |