Supervisors need to OK fire district

The winter visitors are gone summering elsewhere but us "rounders" are still here. The question is still here - are you for or against a Foothills public fire department?
 
For me, it is a matter of where my dollars are going to go.
 
Logically, I like the idea of all property owners paying their fair share (annual tax) for fire/EMT protection, which is based on their property assessment. At least 98 percent of the other communities, we are all familiar with, take a public fire department for granted where all revenues go into their public fire department.
 
The proposed public Foothills Fire and Rescue District will be administered by a non-salaried board of directors and, therefore, profits will not go to large shareholders and administrative salaries, as they do with a for-profit fire service.
 
Legally, I know that the yearly amount I will pay for a public fire department can be claimed on my income tax. I like that.
 
Reasonably, I can expect my home fire insurance policy premiums to decrease with the expected increase in the national Insurance Services Organization rating provided by a Foothills public fire department.
 
The national ISO collects data about a community's fire protection efforts and assigns a public protection classification number (ISO). An ISO of 1 is the highest rating and, therefore, the lowest premiums. For example, in 2007, Paradise Valley, Ariz. went from an ISO rating of 6 (with Rural/Metro) to an ISO rating of 3 when they changed to a public fire department.
 
That is a significant "report card" improvement. The city of Yuma Fire Department maintains an admirable ISO rating of 3, as the proposed Foothills Fire and Rescue District will strive for.
 
Surprisingly, there are many new grants available to aid public fire departments that are not available to private for-profit fire protection companies. Review them at www.firegrantsupport.com and put in AFG, FP or SAFER and the programs will be displayed. There are community public grants available such as money for radios that the Tacna public fire department has received.
 
Logistically, the formation of a public fire department is possible. The first step is for the Yuma County Board of Supervisors to approve the petition process. The petition process will give each property owner in the Foothills the opportunity to sign or not sign the petition to initiate the proposed Foothills Fire and Rescue District. Each property owner will then have a choice.
 
My dollars are going to support the formation of the Foothills Fire and Rescue District and I will sign the petition.


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BARBARA SPENCER
Foothills