Support your fire district

As Chief of Northern Lakes Fire Protection District (NLFPD) I would like to ask for a few moments of your time. I would like to thank you for the many years of support you have given to Northern Lakes Fire and to encourage you to show your support by voting in the upcoming election on Tuesday, May 15.

If you have questions or concerns about the upcoming override levy that is proposed by NLFPD, I ask that you attend our next, and last, town hall meeting at 5:30 p.m. this Monday, May 14, at our Station 1 in Hayden. Here you will be provided the plan in detail, a list of all anticipated uses of your tax dollars for the next 15 years, see what it will mean to you in terms of cost, be a part of a detailed discussion of why an equipment and facility fiscal plan is absolutely needed, and why waiting to fund this plan is not an option. We will also share studies that were done years ago, and recently updated, showing our specific needs; both current and future. Facts about our volunteer program will be discussed and it will be pointed out that there is no increase for current employee wages or benefits as part of the proposed override levy plan.For the past several months we here at Northern Lakes Fire Protection District (NLFPD) have been meeting with civic groups, community leaders, service organizations, and our constituents, to share our long term vision and plans. We have done this through countless public presentations, phone calls, one-on-one meetings, flyers, mailings, information tables, news articles, several town hall meetings and numerous impromptu chats with folks as we met you as we went about our day. The purpose of these efforts was to provide you information outlining NLFPD's strategic plan for the next 15 years.

Many constituents have been asking us the tough questions. These were not always easy to answer but voters deserved to have their concerns addressed. These personal interactions allowed us to share the facts of why we feel it is necessary to ask that a permanent override levy be voted on at this time. Following are some discussion points based on questions and concerns that have been brought up recently.First of all, we do understand that these are difficult times. Many of our staff and personnel are taxpayers in our district and asked themselves why this was a necessary time to bring an override levy to a vote. There never is a "good time" to raise taxes. There just isn't. Even with a 159 percent increase in calls in the last 11 years, Northern Lakes Fire has never gone to the voters for a levy override. Not once after it was formed in 2001 as the result of consolidation of Rathdrum Fire District and Hayden Fire District have we come to you like we are today. As a matter of fact, it has been over 20 years since Hayden Fire District asked for an increase and 15 years since Rathdrum approved a bond in 1996.

The proposed override levy does look like a large increase if compared between two successive years, but we feel that it is very reasonable when realizing the number of years since an increase for a levy increase was voted for and compared with neighboring fire departments and districts. With this being said, NLFD continues to improve its services. The nature of our business requires higher levels of training and skills of all our employees. All 30 full-time firefighters are crossed as emergency medical providers with nine of them being paramedics, capable of providing advanced life care, and the other 21 being emergency medical technicians. Each of these firefighters, along with our volunteer firefighters, are equipped with very expensive safety equipment that wears out routinely through use in extreme conditions and needs to be replaced due to wear or age based on national safety standards.

When is the right time? Now is the right time. We simply cannot continue to make do and continue providing the high quality of care our residents are used to without some workable plan in place to insure we can continue this care for years to come. This must include an equipment and facility maintenance and replacement plan.Our 15 year plan and override levy will benefit all residents within NLFPD. Each and every one. By budgeting for and providing additional personnel to staff a third station northwest of Hayden and southeast of Rathdrum, the chance that all personnel are on calls simultaneously is reduced, allowing for a quicker response to calls within our district. This means that you and your family would have emergency responders more likely to be available from your district, without having to request mutual aid which could take a longer response time. Also, larger events such as structure fires would most likely see more personnel arrive quicker on scene. If the levy passes, the plan is to once again hire additional seasonal employees to have a presence in the more remote areas of our district for faster response to emergency calls.

Many have asked about our new station in Rathdrum and why that was built when there are plans for a third station. This is perhaps one of the easier questions to answer. First of all, we felt it would have been fiscally irresponsible to you, the taxpayer, NOT to build the station given the opportunities presented to us. For years, NLFD had been saving to remodel the out-of-date Station 2 which was never intended or designed to be used as a permanently manned station. It was grossly overcrowded with equipment and make-shift living quarters, along with some very serious safety issues. NLFPD had also been in talks with Burlington Northern - Santa Fe Railroad (BNSF) about donating the land adjacent to the existing building for possible use. During this time, a federal grant to help smaller communities build fire stations became available. It was applied for, and almost two years later it was announced that NLFPD had been awarded over $1 million dollars.

The stars had aligned. With the $1 million dollars already saved for remodeling, the grant of over $1 million dollars and the generous donation of over four acres of land valued at $665,000 from BNSF, it was determined that the building of a new station was a much better choice for the taxpayers of the district. The new Station 2 cost the taxpayer only .36 cents for every $1 spent on the station and brought many needed jobs to our local citizens.In closing, I would like to share a few final points and thoughts. I am very proud to say that Northern Lakes Fire has been the most stable it has been in many years. We have quality commissioners who care about your best interests and always value your input at their meetings held twice monthly. After 20 years with Northern Lakes, the last five as Fire Chief, I feel we are more than prepared than ever to continue reaching for, and achieving higher levels of care and service for all those who reside in our district.

It is imperative that we do not wait for the next major growth spike to start preparing for the increased calls which increase each and every year. We need to put in place today a plan to take care of you and your family's emergency needs for many years to come. For additional information, please visit our website at www.nlfpd.com which has multiple documents about the levy including frequently asked questions and answers, or call and speak with me directly at (208) 772-5711. I also strongly encourage you to attend the town hall meeting at Station 1 this Monday, May 14 at 5:30 p.m.

Please don't forget to share your support by voting on Monday, May 15.

Dean S. Marcus is chief of Northern Lakes Fire Protection District.