Commissioners approve fire proposals, but many feel efforts too little, too late

Las Cruces Sun-News (NM)

Sept. 14--LAS CRUCES -- Doña Ana County commissioners on Tuesday approved two modest proposals designed to address problems in six county fire districts that received failing grades, but the overwhelming message after two hours of discussion was that the proposals were too little and too late.

Members of the public were angry. Commissioners were angry. The room seethed with rage, contempt and frustration.

"I don't hope for a responsive government," said Las Alturas resident Linda Worley. "I don't wish for it. I expect it. And we have not had it."

About 50 people attended the part of the meeting devoted to plans for the fire districts. Eleven of them got up to speak during the public comment period. Nearly all were strongly critical of the people sitting in front of the room -- commissioners and county staff.

The audience applauded after several of the speakers spoke, rare for a county commission meeting.

"I'm very disappointed to hear the proposal that was given today," said Kassi Simpson of the village of Doña Ana. "None of that guarantees my safety. None of that guarantees my children's safety. This is unacceptable."

Only County Manager Fernando Macias seemed immune to the negative tone. He acted the part of the even-tempered, deliberate and all-knowing judge he once was. He presented the proposals calmly, defended the approach that was being taken and cast aside alternative suggestions.

But Macias' calmness only seemed to inflame the ire of others, including commissioners.

"I am not sensing enough urgency," said District 1 Commissioner Billy Garrett. "I think there's more to be done and more to be done more quickly. What we're hearing today is not enough of a response to a critical issue for Doña Ana County."

Nevertheless, after two hours of disagreement, commissioners approved unanimously what they were asked to approve by Macias and fire chief Nicholas Hempel -- two proposals costing $165,000 to provide financial incentives to volunteer firefighters and pay for advertising to increase recruitment for additional volunteers.

But Macias was also instructed to bring additional proposals to the Board of County Commissioners meeting on Oct. 9. Clearly most wanted more than he offered.

The two proposals approved on Tuesday were intended as a first step toward resolving issues that caused six of the county's 16 fire districts to be given failing grades by an insurance industry ratings organization.

County fire districts in Anthony, La Mesa, Las Alturas, La Union, Mesquite and Radium Springs were given grades of 10, the lowest grade possible, by the Insurance Services Office, an independent body that rates fire agencies and sells its services to the insurance industry.

Doña Ana County Fire and Emergency Services provides fire protection and ambulance service to incorporated areas of the county and municipalities such as Anthony that don't have their own fire departments. It is staffed primarily by volunteers, like most county fire departments in New Mexico and many around the country.

County fire districts, like fire departments all over the state, are graded every four years or so by ISO, which evaluates a variety of factors that influence the quality of fire protection, including staffing and equipment, responses to fire and other service calls, and the water delivery system.

ISO grades all fire protection areas on a scale of 1 to 10 -- 1 being the best. A grade of 10 indicates an agency "does not meet minimum criteria," according the company's website. Most county districts received grades of 5 to 7, considered adequate for volunteer agencies.

Many insurance companies use ISO grades to determine premiums for property insurance. Homeowners and insurance agents in the six failing districts report that premiums have increased 200 percent or more because of the downgrading.

Fire officials say that the six districts received failing grades because they did not meet minimum ISO requirements on a single standard. That standard requires that at least four firefighters from the district, on average, respond to a structure fire. The actual way the number is calculated is complex.

The inability of fire districts in the county to meet the standard has two interrelated causes -- insufficient number of volunteers and inadequate participation by existing volunteers. The two proposals approved on Tuesday are intended to address those issues.

The incentive program would give volunteer firefighters in the six failing districts an opportunity to earn up to $6,000 a year for their work, a system designed to encourage more frequent participation. The marketing plan is intended to increase the number of volunteers.

Macias cautioned that there isn't a "magic pill" that will fix the problems that caused the six districts to receive failing grades. He also insisted that the two proposals were merely a first effort in a process to improve emergency response in those districts.

"This isn't the solution to the problem," he said. "This is part of the solution. It's going to take hard work to build up our volunteer force."

Consolidation of the county's 16 fire districts has been frequently discussed as method for increasing the pool of volunteers in each district. Two years ago, fire officials even proposed a plan to combine all 16 districts into one, but Macias dismissed that idea after he became county manager in January as unworkable in a county as large as Doña Ana.

A month ago, Macias said it was likely that the 16 districts would be consolidated into a much smaller number, perhaps three or four. But as planning progressed, that strategy was de-emphasized.

Now, Macias and Hempel are planning to bring a proposal to a future commission meeting proposing the merging of just two districts -- the failing La Union district and the Chamberino district, which earned a grade of 5 from the ISO. All existing fire stations in those districts would remain.

Commissioner Garrett, for one, didn't understand why consolidation was not yet being proposed for any other districts.

"The simplest thing to do as far as I'm concerned is consolidating," Garrett said. "I don't understand why the rationale for creating one district in La Union and Chamberino wouldn't applying equally to La Mesa and Mesquite, both of which are 10s."

Macias and Hempel cautioned that merging districts takes time because a legal change would be required, but also because district chiefs and volunteers in those districts need to be involved in the process and, since they are volunteers, efforts must be made not to alienate them.

But both also want to see if the incentives and efforts to recruit more volunteers are successful.

"There really is a sense of urgency to address this," Macias said. "But if you have a fire chief who is coming to you and saying 'I think I can increase the numbers' ... you want to give them the opportunity (to do that)."

An insufficient number of volunteers is the root of the problem, however, and many members of the public who spoke at the meeting, including current and former firefighters, feel the county should shift away from a system that relies so heavily on volunteers.

The Doña Ana County fire department has 252 volunteers, plus 13 paid firefighters, not including staff in the central administration. The number of volunteers varies significantly by district. Generally those districts that received failing grades have the fewest volunteers.

Macias said the county is trying to identify positions in other departments that could be shifted to the fire department as they become vacant as a way to increase the number of paid firefighters. He said he is hopeful that eight such positions can be identified by the end of the year.

Many who spoke would like the county to shift to an entirely career firefighting force, like the city of Las Cruces. But Macias said he didn't think that was necessary -- 32 of 33 counties in the state rely on volunteer firefighter -- nor is it possible in the near future.

"You're not going to be able to convert to a full-time firefighting staff in a short period of time," he said. "The county doesn't have the money to do that."

Blake Gumprecht may be reached at 575-541-5453, [email protected] or @blakegumprecht on Twitter.

Correction: The original version of this article misidentified Linda Worley.

___

Visit the Las Cruces Sun-News (Las Cruces, N.M.) at www.lcsun-news.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.