Group views Fire 5 levy as money grab

Surrounded by trucks and tools in a large garage northwest of Airways Heights, a small group gathered to voice concerns about a levy for the fire station just down the road.

The group, Concerned Citizens of Fire District 5, met last week to discuss how they believe the proposed Emergency Medical Service regular property tax levy is the result of mismanagement and overspending.

Debi Davis, the district’s former EMS captain, and a dozen other group members said the permanent EMS levy of 50 cents for every $1,000 of assessed property value on this year’s ballot is unnecessary.

“(District officials) just saw easy money and are going for it,” said Davis, who was fired from the district last year. “They’re not being truthful with the public.”

Group members, mostly former firefighters and area residents, said district officials have invested in redundant equipment or inflated everyday EMS expenses to justify the levy.

Fire Commissioner Greg Lucht said the levy is needed to preserve services at the district’s two stations and head off increasing operational costs. He said emergency personnel gear, supply maintenance and fuel expenses are “really going through the roof.”

“We want to be ahead of the game,” Lucht said.

The EMS levy would supplement a current $1.50 fire service tax for every $1,000, which has been reduced to $1.11 by a recent tax-increase limit. If passed, it would add almost $44,000 to the district’s annual revenue of about $85,500.

District 5 records state the total yearly spending on EMS more than doubled, from $17,884 to $55,678, in the past three years. The district’s listed cost for EMS gear quadrupled during that time.

After splitting into an independent district several years ago, the department had a surplus budget of more than $250,000. Lucht said that money was used throughout the years to pay for essential equipment, updated vehicles and increased training.

“We applied that cash the best way we know how,” he said. “We reinvented ourselves.”

The 90-square-mile district increased its staff from 17 to 23 volunteers and bought a new medical response vehicle, he said. Their investments have led to better training and faster response times.

The increased spending depleted the surplus and has made EMS costs a burden on the district, Lucht said. But the surplus money could not save lives while sitting in a bank; only a prepared department can.

“We think the district’s in a lot better shape than five years ago,” he said.

Fire commissioners looked at what neighboring fire stations were doing before committing to the district’s first EMS levy, Lucht said. The permanent levy should meet future costs without forcing the department to pay for new campaigning expenses in another six years.

“We decided this would be a good thing for us,” he said.

Davis, whose husband is running for fire commissioner, opposes the decision to pass these expenses on to the approximately 1,800 district residents.

EMS expenses never topped $10,000 in previous years, Davis said. She believes excessive fire costs may have been billed as EMS spending.

Fire and medical service expenditures must have separate accounting, according to state law.

The department is buying more equipment than it can house, and it is hiring at an irresponsible rate, she said. Each new firefighter takes money to buy gear and train, but more volunteers do not necessarily improve service.

“They make big mistakes,” she said of district officials. “They don’t research it.”

At the same time, the district has also lost as many as seven veteran volunteers through terminations or resignations, she said. The citizens group said employees were fired or demoted for questioning decisions.

Lucht said the personnel changes were made for “the betterment of the district.”

“It’s really sad that we had to let a couple people go,” he said. “It’s not something that was thought of lightly.”

Strained relations between several volunteers in the citizen group and district officials have led to legal battles and investigations.

Group members attempted to recall Lucht and fellow Fire Commissioner James Ryan last year. A Superior Court judge threw out the charges, which district officials called “unsubstantiated.”

Several firefighters followed up with a vote of no-confidence against all three fire commissioners. Two former employees filed complaints against the district with the Department of Health.

Former EMS-certified firefighter Patty Bonner said she has also filed a whistle-blower lawsuit. She was fired in June 2006.

“They’ve taken it from a business level to a personal, vindictive level,” Bonner said of the fire commissioners.

Members of the citizen group said they believe the fire commissioners have good intentions, but many decisions have been based on personal agendas, poor information or without public input.

“They have a lot of power and a lot of leeway,” Davis said.

Lucht said the conflict is unfortunate, considering how important dedicated volunteers are to quality fire and medical service.

He said he hopes to see the district continue its growth, but voters ultimately will decide the department’s future.

“It’s entirely up to the public,” he said.