Published: March 19, 2008 11:11 pm            

Firefighters tell officials levy is critical for them

BECKLEY, W.Va. — Raleigh County residents could have a burning house, a wrecked car or their cat in a tree, and there could be very few ways to help them.

Crippling costs — gasoline, namely — and severely declining revenues have volunteer fire departments in the county struggling to keep their engine bays open. Various members of the county’s 13 volunteer departments met Wednesday to discuss why they believe additional funds from a fire levy are needed.

Beaver VFD deputy chief Jimmy Shannon, president of the Raleigh County Rural Firefighters’ Association, said the levy being discussed by firefighters and Raleigh County commissioners would require approval from voters in a special election.

Commissioner John Humphrey said county officials have not decided when to have the levy vote, but it would likely take place in 2009 because of preparation time involved. He estimated the cost of such a special election at $100,000.

Commissioner John Aliff estimated such a levy would need to raise $4 million.

Shannon said a board appointed by county commissioners would govern how the funding is used, and the levy would strictly specify how the money could be spent.

“You don’t just go and buy chewing tobacco and a pack of cigarettes,” he said. “You have got to use it for the fire service and to pay your bills.”

Several years ago, Shannon said, the county gave voters such an option, but the fire levy failed. Firefighters are more confident of passage this time. He noted the citizens who actually pay the fee would no longer have their insurance billed when their house catches fire or they are involved in a vehicle accident.

Firefighters said their needs are dire.

“We’ve got to where we need to make more money or shut our doors,” Sophia Area Chief Danny Treadway said.

Treadway said his department receives $42,000 in insurance fees from the state and about $8,000 from the county commission. It operates on about $50,000 per year, when it must maintain seven trucks alone. Increased fuel costs have been painful.

“They’re not cheap to run,” he said.

Fire departments can only bill homeowner or auto insurance policies when they respond to structure fires, hazardous material situations, vehicle extrications and roadway debris removal, Treadway said. They must respond to so much more, and get little to no revenue. They receive nothing for responding to such calls as downed trees and power lines. The state reimburses them only about $2 to $3 per hour, per firefighter, for responding to brush fires.

“You can go fight a brush fire for four or five hours, then get a check for $20 or $30 from the state,” he said.

Bingo revenues are dying. Shannon said only four of the county’s departments — Beaver, Ghent, Sophia City and Lester — still have bingo. His department makes only one-quarter of what it made on bingo five or six years ago.

“The bottom line is bingo has dropped out,” he said.

If a levy does not pass, citizens not only risk losing fire protection, they also risk taking a huge hit in the wallet.

“If you lose your fire department, you won’t have the ability to get insurance, or it will be so high that you can’t afford it,” said Richard Glaw, president and medical chief of the Trap Hill Fire Department. “The proximity of your fire department affects your insurance.”

Mike Holshouser, a Rhodell firefighter and grant writer, said his insurance on a three-story house cost $350 when he lived close to a Beckley fire station. He moved to a mobile home in Josephine, about six miles away from the nearest fire department. Insurance now costs him $1,300.

Aliff, Humphrey and commission president Pat Reed attended the meeting and told firefighters they want to help. However, the county has only so much money and several mouths to feed.

“We’re not the federal government,” Aliff said. “We can’t make money, then go in the hole. The Raleigh County Commission can’t do that. We have to live within our budget.

“Fire departments are essential to our citizens. We will help as much as we can. But the sheriff’s department costs $3 1/2 million to operate. What do we do there? If we have no police officers, we will not have an orderly society. It’s the same with the fire departments. If you have buildings burning down and you’re not protected, you’re in trouble too.

“But we also have the prosecuting attorney’s office, the assessor ... There’s very little left afterward.”



Amelia A. Pridemore writes for The Register-Herald in Beckley, W.Va.

        

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