Budget cuts won’t stop public safety

April 06--Organizations and a variety of sectors in Oklahoma are braced for the impact of more budget cuts in the wake of an $878 million budget shortfall. Some of the states already underfund services, largely run by volunteers, are hoping for the best but preparing for the worst -- including rural fire departments.

Perry Brinegar, ASCOG rural fire defense coordinator, said many departments were still hurting from last year.

"We were cut last year and the operation money which the state has been handing out every year, that was cut," he said. "This year it looks to be cut again and that is money that these small, rural volunteer departments use to buy fuel for their trucks or pay for insurance, things of that nature."

The cuts to other agencies like the Oklahoma Forestry Department affects rural firefighters in the use or the purchase of vehicles.

"We've taken some pretty good cuts and are looking at taking another cut," he said. "These cuts that we are getting ready to take here -- there's nothing to offset that with -- the money is just not there."

While many departments are trying fundraisers, even those can't help completely.

"Fundraisers have dwindled considerably all across the state ... because of the economy and everything else," he said.

There was some good news for those volunteers firefighters.

Brinegar said to his knowledge the tax credit which volunteer firefighters can apply for would not be cut.

The impending amount of the cuts has yet to be determined.

"We don't really know -- there's been talk of upwards of 14 percent," Brinegar said. "On top of the 10 and 12 percents last year that some of our state agencies took -- now you throw another 14 percent in there-- it's public safety in general. I've talked to the Oklahoma Highway Patrol and others and getting that kind of cut again is just devastating. All the departments here in Stephens County they're actually so blessed to have the tax -- which even the tax has gone way down also -- but their operation monies that comes from the state."

The money goes through several offices first but is largely distributed by the Oklahoma Forestry Department. Last year the state, instead of giving the departments one lump sum of approximately $3,900, split funds into two payments, the second of which should be going out to fire departments by the end of the month.

"Some of our departments are looking forward to that to pay bills," Brinegar said. "If Forestry pulls money off the top of that plus the cuts, their $3,900 and some change could go down considerably. Where does it stop at?"

Public safety won't stop because the money isn't there though.

"I can assure you that the volunteers, and the Duncan department and all of our volunteers, they are going to go out there and do their best to continue to give Stephens County citizens the best protection they can -- whether they have the money to do it or not," Brinegar said. "They are not going to falter. We'll figure out how to pay for it later. We are going to take care of our people."

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