February 14, 2007

Published in Wake Forest, NC

            The Town of Wake Forest, which contracts with the independent department for fire services, will be asked for $2.9 million, about 77 percent of the budget, with the rest coming from Wake County, which contracts with the department for fire service in the rural fire district.

            Last year the town budgeted $1.7 million for the fire department. For the last three years it has dedicated 10 cents of the 54-cent property tax for the fire department.

            Town Manager Mark Williams said the town’s property tax base was reported as $1.9 billion in December. Ten cents of that base would be $1.9 million, shy of the fire department’s request by a million.

            The increase in next year’s budget is largely driven by Chief Jerry Swift’s request to add 21 paid personnel to the staff of about 75: 35 volunteers, eight paid part-time and 32 paid staff in two stations.

            There is also a little more than a quarter million, $262,000, in Swift’s budget to purchase land for three new fire stations and payments for three trucks at the stations.

            “By the time we get the truck, the station will be here. It will take a while to build that truck,” Don Griesedieck said, referring to the planned station on Forestville Road where Joel Keith, a former fire board member, is willing to sell them land. The other two stations will be along Capital Boulevard on the west side of town and along Wait Avenue for the east side.

            There were increases in almost every category of Swift’s detailed budget, including:

            -- a 23 percent increase in estimated fuel costs.

            -- substantial increases in apparatus maintenance. The larger units such as the new ladder truck with 10 tires will probably need two sets of tires. “A truck that size eats tires,” Captain Daryl Cash said. He has been trained to trouble-shoot maintenance for the ladder truck.

            -- a savings of $2,800 because Swift got rid of the water coolers and put filters on the faucets.

            -- a 25 percent increase in computers to replace laptops in the stations and put four, preloaded with fire plans, in the four pumper tankers at the two stations.

            -- an increase of 68 percent in facility maintenance that will include painting the interior of Station #1, replacing ceiling tiles and rewiring the bay doors to close at a touch of a button instead of the present steady pressure. “We’re losing valuable time holding that button,” Swift said. Station #2 will also be repainted and have ceiling tiles replaced as well as a canopy or tent over the bay doors. “UV rays destroyed one set of gear, and the paint on the truck is fading.” Swift said.

            -- $45,000 for turnout gear. The county only provides us a small percentage of the cost for turnout gear, Swift said. The cost is between $1,200 and $1,500 per outfit. The department received enough money for nine sets this year. “That’s not enough with twenty-one additional people coming on, and we need to replace twenty sets for volunteers,” Swift said.

            The department has just received new helmets that cost about $140 each, and two weeks ago the firefighters were trying on new boots for size. They are padded inside with composition shanks and toes rather than the current unlined rubber boots with steel shanks and toes. They cost $247 each.

            The board members – President Stanley Denton, Bob Bridges, Richard Stinnett, James Holding, Thomas Walters, Kenneth Capps, Griesedieck and Ricky Wright – agreed they had come to the meeting prepared to delay action on the budget, but they were so impressed with the detail in Swift’s packet, complete with graphs and line item descriptions down to the agent’s name and phone number, they approved it that night.

            There are some changes because of Lyman Franklin’s resignation. Randy Bright, a former board member, has agreed to take Denton’s seat and Denton has the county commissioners’ approval to take Franklin’s seat.

            Also, there will be no dearth of volunteers in the near future. Although about seven volunteers have left the department because they did not meet the training requirements, Swift said four or five prospective volunteers had appeared at the last two meetings.

            The day it snowed, Stinnett said, he went to the station. “There were fifteen volunteers down here with the paid staff, eating lunch. I haven’t seen that in a long time.”

            Randall Cooper will become the deputy chief for the volunteers. “I want the volunteers to have a voice high up,” Swift said.

            The owners of the Starlite Motel and pawn shop have donated the buildings for training burns. Swift said that people who ask for their property to be burned make “substantial donations” because the fire department saves them demolition costs.

            The town and county will consider the fire department’s requested budget as part of their budget preparations, which must be complete by the end of June.

            During the Feb. 8 meeting the board held a short closed session to discuss a property purchase.