 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
 |
 |
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
 |
 |
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
 |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|||||
 |
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||
|
This
letter comes to you as part of the Danbury Fire Department’s Annual
Report to our township trustees. Enclosed
is our proposed budget for the upcoming fiscal year along with a map of
your township and the district which we currently cover. Available upon
request is a copy of our 123 page NFIRS report which has been filed with
the State Fire Marshall’s Office in The
Department responded to 30 calls during 2003 (Jan – Dec).
However, there were some calls that were lost in our computer
database. That number also
does not include any of the weather related calls we respond to such as
weather spotting. It
has definitely been a very busy year for the fire department.
As most of you know the Fire Department was awarded nearly
$72,000.00 from the Department of Homeland Security.
As a requirement of the grant, we had to put up a 10% match, or
$8,000 to complete the $80,000.00 grant.
The grant has allowed us to purchase new bunker gear (coats, pants,
boots, etc), new self contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) and a
compressor to fill the SCBA’s, handheld radios and training equipment.
This equipment replaced equipment that was 10 and 15 years old which was
worn out and beyond repair. The
department is very excited that they were able to obtain this much
equipment for only $8,000.00. In
addition the fire department was awarded $15,000.00 from Danbury Farm
Supply on behalf of The ConAgra Foundation.
The money was specifically designated towards the replacement of
the Department’s 30 year old pumper. In March of last year, the
department applied for a 75% grant from the USDA for a new $160,000
pumper. The grant was
submitted several times and in September the department was notified that
they were awarded a grant for $50,000.00 as well as a $100,000.00 loan
with an interest rate of 4.25% on a 15 year loan.
The other $10,000 was to come from the department as a local match.
The annual payments for the loan would be $9152.04 for 15 years.
To comply with USDA requirements, we must also set up a
depreciation fund on the truck and that is where the extra dollars come
from on the budget. However, it is possible to pay a little more up front
to get the annual payments and interest down.
Currently, the city deposits $6240 annually into an equipment fund
in which the majority of the money that is being deposited could be used
to make the payments. There is
currently around $16,000 in that account.
It is being proposed that we use $5000.00/year of that money for
the payment with the rest coming from township increases as well as
donations. Currently,
the townships that we serve levy from .2679 up to .5846 with .6075 being
the maximum levy. As you all
know, the price of equipment, fuel, insurance and maintenance keep rising.
We would eventually like to get all our townships to the max levy
if not closer than they already are. Currently
the City of If
the fire department is unable to make the annual payments, we will be
required to send all $65,000 in grant money back.
This is something we really don’t want to do as the chances of
ever getting that money back would be slim to none.
We only have several months left before we HAVE to do something. A
new truck would really benefit the community as the truck would be an NFPA
compliant pumper which would help us in lowering our ISO rating.
ISO is an independent company that rates fire departments and in
turn sets the rates that you pay for fire insurance.
By lowering our rating one point we could save homeowners in our
fire district up to $60.00 a year. The
current pumper is not NFPA compliant. As stated earlier, the truck is
nearly 30 years old and is requiring more and more maintenance each and
every year. In
addition, we have recently come across a source where we may be able to
obtain an interest free loan on the $100,000.00 for ten years.
We are working hard in getting all the required paperwork for the
loan and getting it submitted by the deadline.
These loans are very completive and there is no guarantee on the
loan approval. We
know this is sudden to ask for this much increased funding at once.
But we need to work together for the citizens of our fire district
to be able to provide adequate fire protection.
Nobody wants to send $65,000.00 in grant money back.
The price of fire trucks are rising up to 5-10% a year.
If we don’t take advantage of this opportunity now, we may never
be able to replace the pumper. Please
let us know when your meeting is and one of us will try to attend to
discuss these issues further and sign a contract for the upcoming fiscal
year. You may get in contact with us by calling City Hall at 883-2431 or
Mayor Bob Mohrhauser at 883-2101. Sincerely, Bob
Welte, Fire Chief
Todd McBride, Lieutenant |