Lake debates how to fund improvements fire chief says need to be a public-safety priority

Orlando Sentinel (FL)

Jan. 21--TAVARES -- Growth in Lake County has brought an increase in fire calls but with only small increases in funding left financial needs unmet and have led to poor conditions at fire stations and slower response times.

That was the message from Lake fire Chief John Jolliff, who told county commissioners Tuesday that the department has had to dip into reserves to help avoid layoffs and maintain quality of service. Now, he said, the reserves are almost depleted.

He laid out a list of needs, topped by renovation of fire stations, equipping fire trucks to support advanced-life support services and adding two new stations in areas that saw a large amount of calls but were far from a station.

After the meeting, Jolliff told the Sentinel, "I've been feeding operation out of reserves but now there is nothing left so something has got to give for us to even operate. It's a little scary....I really believe they heard the message and saw it. I think it's a step towards making this more of a priority."

Commissioners agreed that with the increase in calls more funding is needed to meet demand for additional stations and personnel but questioned where the cash would come from. They discussed the possibility of land being donated for new stations and raising property taxes to fund some needs.

Commissioner Sean Parks said the improvements are needed and could mean the difference between life and death for someone stuck in a fire.

"I think it boils down to two issues particularly: manpower and are we going to have enough manpower to meet a growing population and conditions of the facilities...," he said. Some fire stations, he said, are "atrocious" and could become a major liability.

"I mean heaven forbid we have a storm," Parks said. "The people we'd have to evacuate would include our firefighters to get them out of harm's way. That would mean they wouldn't be able to help people in certain areas as easily."

Fire Rescue officials are trying to plan renovations over five years starting in 2018 with the Bassville Park station and the station in Sorrento. He said the harsh reality is the project would likely be extended into a 10-year plan because of budget strains.

Currently, the county collects a yearly fire fee of $175 from property owners to pay for the department's operating expenses. In the current fiscal year, which extends until October, the fee is projected to generate $16.3 million of the department's $21.9 million budget. Another $1.1 million would be needed annually to carry out the plan, according to Jolliff.

Since 2012, which was the last time the department had enough to run without dipping into reserves, funding has increased $2.4 million but expenses to maintain the department have increased $4 million. There has been a 12-percent increase in calls for service for fire and EMS services since 2012.

Jolliff also said he's worked to improve Lake's rating with the industry's Insurance Services Office, which could lead to residents seeing a decrease in insurance rates down the line.

He hopes the improvement might offset the potential of an increase in property taxes, which commissioners discussed as a potential way to offset the financial needs.

Jolliff also told commissioners he cut back costs by joining with cities through automatic-aid agreements, which allow for a seamless response from the closest fire station when calls come in. The process has allowed for quicker response times and saves cash, Jolliff said.

He said the opening of new fire stations in Clermont and Altoona this year, both funded by impact fees, could also help improve the rating with increased response times.

Jolliff will compile a strategic plan for commissioners to help sort through priorities, response times to certain areas and how projects could be funded.

"I feel like this has helped make it more of a priority," Jolliff told the Sentinel. "If we continue giving them progress reports and they raise taxes, it would show them progress is being made. We know it's going to take time to get back on track and repair things. This problem wasn't made overnight so it can't be fixed overnight either."

chayes@orlandosentinel.com or 352-742-5936

___

Visit The Orlando Sentinel (Orlando, Fla.) at www.OrlandoSentinel.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.