Letter to the Editor
Flawed logic
Published Wednesday, April 23, 2008
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To the editor:
Ace Callaway’s loss of his home (in Fox on Jan. 3) was very tragic. I have read numerous letters in the News-Miner pro and con about this debacle and there are a few things that need to be addressed by the Fairbanks North Star Borough mayor, the Interior Delegation and surely the volunteer fire departments of the borough.
Problem No. 1: Most of the funds for large equipment acquisition and facilities comes from state resources. The resources of the state are for the people.
Please read the Alaska Constitution.
The state constitution is worded numerous times in a color blind fashion.
I do not believe the state intends to violate its own constitution and principles.
No. 2: The borough also provides assets to the fire districts. Does not Callaway pay property tax, which goes into a general fund?
This fund in part is divided up among the various borough agencies and often given as grants to other groups.
In plain and simple reasoning Mr. Callaway is cast adrift fire-service-wise even though he pays property taxes.
Instead of posturing on each side of this issue, we need to force the state, borough and fire districts to fashion a reasonable approach to this dilemma.
I can only imagine how Callaway felt when the fire service responders turned around and went back to the fire station.
By going back to the fire station they demonstrated they were not needed in the fire district at that time!
What a misguided and fiscally wrong policy is currently in place.
This policy needs to be fixed now or a situation like this will occur again.
Community Discussion
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What debacle? Dictionary.com defines debacle as:
1. A sudden, disastrous collapse, downfall, or defeat; a rout.
2. A total, often ludicrous failure.
3. The breaking up of ice in a river.
4. A violent flood.
Mr. Callaway lived in area that is not part of a fire service area. A simple call to the local firehouse, the borough government or a quick search of on-line resources would have informed Mr. Callaway of that fact.
You are correct about the "posturing" being exhibited by many. But the simple truth of the matter, to me anyway, is that many of you out there simply don't take the time to understand how life works in and around your city/borough. You wait for something tragic to happen and then you start to blame the government or worse yet, you blame the volunteers who time and time again prove their willingness to protect the lives and property of those who pay for it.
Your comment that "Mr. Callaway is cast adrift fire-service-wise even though he pays property taxes." is an especially good example of incomplete thinking or dare I say a good example of your ignorance on the subject. Do yourself and our community a great favor and go visit the firehouse. There you will find many of your question answered and you'll find out that those firefighters who initially responded had to do something that is the antithesis for their being.
As for "debacle", I believe that word best describes people who just too often open their mouths without knowing the rest of the story.
If the problem is the assets provided to fire departments by the borough, funded by areawide residents, the solution is to require fire departments to pay for their own equipment -- not to make fire-service-area taxpayers financially responsible (and legally liable) for providing fire protection to people who don't pay fire-protection taxes.
Callaway could easily have sought to have his home annexed to the fire service area. If the home I occupied in rural North Pole for four years had been across the street from a fire service area I would have sought to have my home annexed. That's the responsible thing to do.
Reaching into other people's pockets is not.
A group of us tried to get a fire service area in Two Rivers back in the early/mid 90's.
Can't remember all the details, but the borough was not cooperative.
Interior Regional Emergency Medical Services was trying to help us, but the borough refused to work with us to get the equipment to establish fire service.
We were and are willing to pay the taxes for coverage.
The borough acknowledged, after the Calloway fire, that areas that cannot be annexed are difficult because of the cost of equipment. That's all it had to say about that subject.
In all the borough's and others' suggestions, I have never heard any attempts at solutions to that problem.
When I first moved to Fairbanks, Hamilton Acres had its own fire department,, at NO cost to the property owners, when the city annexed it , away went the fire department and UP went the taxes, like it or not you payed....its just one more way the government takes over your life..
1-The State does pay for those emergency response resources at all.
2-The Borough does not have the authority, as dictated by the voters, to tax for and provide fire service.
3-Callaway knew this as parts of Fox had attempted to be annexed into a fire service area several times over the last few years and he, among many others in the neighborhood, chose to NOT be annexed. Presumably, to not pay increased taxes as this was the single most stated reason that Fox residents said influenced their decision to not be annexed.
4-The problem is not the fire service. The problem is the residents, as indicated by thier voting, choose to have a weak, awkward, and underfunded government. The problem of the fire service is merely a symptom of the larger problem I just stated.
Still doesn't provide any suggestions or solutions to the problem of creating fire districts in areas that cannot be annexed.
As I said, we tried but the borough put the big kabash on it.
Then, all people want to do is say we don't want to support fire service.
Again, as I said, that is not true in our case.
And how did this fire start?????
corrine,
I just spoke with a fire chief of a local volunteer fire department so that I could better address your comments.
While I am unaware of your (Two Rivers) previous attempts to organize a local volunteer fire department I did find out from the fire chief how you and your neighbors would go about doing such a thing.
The borough really has nothing to do with you and your neighbors establishing a volunteer fire department. If or when the residents of Two Rivers decide to create their own volunteer fire department the borough will collect the taxes for your service area and then turn over those funds to your volunteer fire department. That is all the borough can do as a class 2 borough.
I urge everyone who reads this and is not part of a fire service area to contact the closest volunteer fire department and talk with the chief so that you know what you have to take to ensure your own safety.
Waiting on the borough or the state or any other government entity to do something for you is the attitude of a serf. You and your neighbors are entirely in control of your future and your safety. Go out and organize your neighbors and then tell the state and the borough officials how you want your new volunteer fire department.
Corrine,
As Aliases says, you and your neighbors from the fire district then the money comes. It will take several years to get a station, equipment, staged water tanks, and trained personnel. One year there may be a grant for a used fire truck then perhaps several more years till another grant for something else.
In the intervening time the district taxes can provide land and training, mapping and coordination with other fire districts.
A temporary solution that can be instituted area wide would be a fire response charge equal to four or more times the cost of responding with the understanding that district members have priority. This would allow fire personnel to respond with extra liability insurance costs built in and discourage others from opting out since fire districts need a continuing stream of income to maintain there facilities.
The fire response charge would have to be a legal liability that can become a lien on the property. To make it work there's another thing, you could not refuse the service.
That brings us to the Alaskan Dilemma, wanting something but not wanting to be forced to pay for it. Calloway was well aware he was not in fire service district. Many people chose to live with as low taxes as they can. Who can blame them? But that involves finding some way to plow roads and repair them, fight fires, educate children. Some people can handle it. Many think they can handle and find out otherwise.
There are numerous solutions to these problems, but all of them include a willingness on the part of the public to pay for fire protection. The bottom line is there is a cost involved that absolutely has be to paid or the service cannot exist. Many Alaskans (not all) seem to believe they should get public services at little or no cost to themselves. That's simply a fairy tale inspired by our yearly dividend and oil taxes paying for state government and the services it provides instead of the public paying for it.
The job of fighting fires is cheap when compared to many things in life. At roughly $5 per week (for a home assessed at $250,000) that equates to a rough cost of $280.00 per year (some areas pay a bit more, some pay a bit less). So for the price of a mocha per week the public gets trained individuals using quality (read: it's expensive) equipment designed to help keep everyone safe (particularly the firefighters - as they're the ones putting their lives at risk!) while they endeavor to serve and protect us, our families and our possessions. To me anyway, the cost/benefit ratio heavily favors the benefit side.
People like Ace Callaway just make me hang my head in shame. He's responsible and accountable for the decisions he's made and does not have a right to place that blame anywhere else. He saved himself that $280.00/yr by voting not to form a local volunteer fire department in Fox. Eventually his selfishness cost him the loss his home.
There is also another solution to this problem, and that would be a Borough-wide Fire Department. It's feasible and for the most part it's very practical. However, it would require that FNSB residents grant (i.e. - vote to give) the Borough fire powers, which it currently does not have. Under this plan, the six current service area Fire & EMS Departments would all be merged into one larger fire department, which would then be tasked with providing Fire and EMS services in all areas of the Borough, with the exception of the Cities of Fairbanks & North Pole proper. Costs would/could stay roughly the same.
Expect resistance from a few (not all) of the local Fire Chiefs though.
i feel badly for the people that lose their homes to fire but these people to whom the fire deptartment are UNABLE to respond to are told when they bought the house that it is not in a fire district and some of them even make the choice to be out of the fire service area because they don't want to pay the taxes! don't blame the fire deptartment especially volunteer because those are people who keep the departments in your areas alive they take their time to go to classes and to go on calls to protect you. maybe you should take the time to go down to your local fd and find out a little more....
Getting back to the original letter to the editor, I found his logic full of mush.
He argues vague generalities, such as state funding being "for the people", and that the state constitution is worded in a "color blind fashion."
Governments tax people, and then distribute the monies as they see fit (or give it to people or organizations as they see fit). At some point, there's going to be arbitrary boundaries set as to how that money is spent, and who gets to benefit and who doesn't. Those boundaries can be geographic, as in Ace Callaway's case, or some other specification, such as how much money you make (are you eligible for welfare? Maybe you made only $1 more than that "boundary", and won't receive the benefits you think you deserve.)
There are practical limitations on fire department's responding to fires outside their district. No doubt, Bethel, AK has also benefited from state fire grants. So does that mean the Bethel Fire Department should respond to a Fairbanks fire? That's obviously ludicrous. But where does the boundary get drawn? Maybe Bethel should be responsible for fires outside their city limits. Where do you draw the boundary? At some point there has to be a line drawn, and no matter where you draw it, someone will be able to say it's not fair where it was drawn, and that they should be included.
FNSB is too big, and too widespread to provide fire service everywhere. It's also not practical for the Fairbanks core departments to respond to, say, Salcha for a fire. So where do you draw the boundary from the core area?
It's why we have politicians, and why we have rules. It will never be perfect.
Thanks guys.
That is good info.
I am one who has been willing to pay for fire service.
If I had been in the Calloway's position, I sure would have tried to be annexed.
ADF,
Well said!
"Problem No. 1: Most of the funds for large equipment acquisition and facilities comes from state resources. The resources of the state are for the people."
Just last week I went on a field trip with my son to the large new fire station downtown on Cushman. That building is full of equipment, and we were told by our guide that every single piece of equipment (the vehicles) was acquired through grants. Now, I don't know where those grants come from, they might be governmental, but if the city of Fairbanks can apply for those grants, so can other areas trying to create a new fire service area or expand an existing one. Doesn't guarantee they'll get the funds, but they can at least try.
how about some of us whose property is in a fire district but we don't want fire service? can U get out, not pay the tax and just be allowed to take your chances?
Don`t mf the fireman during a fire.
justasking, I don't think you could opt out; why would you if responders were available in your area- I don't have children in school, but I sure pay for everyone else's kids to go to school. Borough won't let me out of that either. :rolleyes:
At the very least, your insurance would go up, presuming you have coverage. BTW folks, I spoke to my insurance people about updating my policy/coverage, given the increase in construction costs to replace a home; that average is now $145/sq.ft
An EXCELLENT website for learning about your fire service rating (and what the insurance companies look at), is www.isomitigation.com
YOTA99714 you can opt out if you live on the border of the responders area. That is why some of the houses that had burned the fd hadn't been able to respond. they were dispatched because the dispatchers computer center showed the house in the service area... upon further investigation the owner had decided to opt out of fire service when they bought the house.
As far as the Two Rivers fire protection we were going to raise funds and had the funds to buy our own equipment. The reason we were not allowed is that the Steese VFD covered Two Rivers for their rescue. If the borough let us have our own Steese would of lost part of their funding and voted against it. So we lost.
As far as knowing if you're in or out of a fire zone you should of been told at time you buy your home. It's part of disclosure laws. Your realtor, title company, insurance copmany and lender would of had this information.
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