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DFRA considers breaking from city
Possible ballot measure may hold the answer to funding question
Herald Staff Writer
Noonan
LeBlanc
Two minutes later, a man had a heart attack on Camino del Rio. At 1:08 p.m. a woman was having seizures on north Main Avenue at the same time a diabetic man was experiencing complications on the east side of town. At 1:17 p.m., a man was on the ground not breathing, and six minutes later a multivehicle accident threw a woman from her vehicle on Colorado Highway 140.
"We have to be everywhere," said DFRA quartermaster Dave Imming, "at any given moment."
Despite the pressure to be everywhere all the time, the money needed to provide emergency services in La Plata County is not keeping pace, says the authority's chief, Dan Noonan. The city of Durango is proposing to cut the share it was scheduled to pay to the authority by $177,000, but Noonan says if the city won't pay its fair share, there's a remote possibility the authority may dissolve its contract with the city.
"How real is dissolution?" asked Noonan, who started with the city's fire department in 1975. "In my heart, I can't really see it, because I've seen our whole history. I saw it with the Missionary Ridge Fire in 2002 and with the three major downtown fires in as many years. You can't get that done without a single agency."
But both DFRA and City Hall feel the current arrangement has not proved workable.
Durango has had a fire department since 1891, but the authority was approved by voters in 2002. The move fused three departments - Animas Fire District, Durango's fire department and the smaller Hermosa Cliffs Fire Department, which served the north side of the county. The authority does not include the county's Upper Pine River, Los Pinos and Fort Lewis Mesa fire protection districts.
The consolidation was performed in part to meet the growing needs of La Plata County, and to cut down on confusion, overlap and response times.
Today, DFRA's 188 members - a term that includes both paid staff and volunteers - operate out of 16 stations spread across 10 square miles. In 2008, it responded to 3,842 medical and fire incidents, a 76 percent increase from 2002. Sixty-six percent of the calls to DFRA originate from the city. Noonan says that with only about 35 percent of partner funding coming from the city, Durango is getting a pretty good deal.
But City Manager Ron LeBlanc asks what those numbers really mean.
"Everybody comes to the city; that's where we go to work, do our banking, shop. It's much more dense," LeBlanc said. "It's also where accidents are more likely to happen, where heart attacks are likely to happen."
LeBlanc also stressed the difference between medical calls (which are more common in the city, he said) and fire calls (which are more expensive and occur more often in the county, he says). LeBlanc said the 5 percent cut DFRA is to receive is less than his department heads had to give up, and it's not clear from the terms of the 2002 agreement how much the city is supposed to pay.
"We recognize that fire protection is an essential function; that's why they were only cut 5 percent," he said.
The funding method as it stands today is based on assessed property values. The city's co-members in the partnership draw exclusively from property tax, but the city government relies more on its sales tax.
The city's economic crisis is already here but with assessed property values determined every two years, Noonan said the authority needs to be girding for "drastic reductions in capital funding" and "general reductions in service" in the next several years.
Noonan said when the city cuts $177,000 for DFRA, it means $482,000 for him, because the two other funding partners have to match the city. This is not, he said, the time for the city to be cutting its share at all.
Because authorities do not have the ability to tax a constituent base for funding, as do special districts, a ballot measure in 2006 asked voters to approve the creation of the Durango Fire Protection District. Voters narrowly approved the measure to create the district but rejected a mill levy that accompanied it on the ballot 65-35 percent. Without the levy, the district and its seven board members have been left impotent.
Noonan and LeBlanc both said a mill levy, like the one voters shot down in 2006, would be an acceptable solution. But Noonan says cuts can't come from the city while he's building reserves and counting on matches from other entities, all while heading a staff of overworked and underpaid employees, out of outdated facilities.
"If that's allowed, how am I going to run my organization?" he asked.
Sometime before Jan. 31, Noonan expects the authority agreement to be amended and he said he'd like to see a ballot measure as early as November 2010.
But "it won't pass without a unified front," he said.
gandrews@durangoherald.com'>gandrews@durangoherald.com
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Durango Herald Calendar of Events
Sunday, November 15, 2009
at 8:49:38 AM
Suggest removal
Tim says...
I am shocked that this is even an issue. Community safety whether it be fire/rescue or law enforcement should be a priority. LeBlanc needs to get out of the way and do the right thing or its time for him to go. Give me a break, his nitpicking by claiming some of the city calls are duty to people coming into the city from other parts. Tell you what LeBlanc, then maybe those of us outside the city should rethink shopping elswhere (Farmington) if this is such a problem for you. I won't have a problem by planning the extra drive time. If the majority of calls come from Durango then the city needs to pay a larger share. To those suggesting a private company take over I really hope you understand what is involved in such a start-up. And what happens when they don't respond quick enough and your home burns down or loved-one dies? You will be hot-footing it to the nearest attorney. To those calling Noonan and his crews cry-babies why don't you step up to the plate and volunteer time to help? I wonder how you would feel if one of these cry-babies saves your life or that of a loved one or keeps your house from burning down. There should be absolutely no question what to do. Pay up!!!
Saturday, November 14, 2009
at 9:55:41 PM
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We need DFRA says...
I think DFRA should cut their ties with the City of Durango. Let's see then if they can get a private company to come in and do half the job of DFRA for the same amount of money. Everyone feels over worked and under paid in a depressed economy, that's nothing new. Those who think cutting funding to the fire departement a smart move will be singing a different tune when it is there house that is burning, or their loved one with a medical emergency and instead of 5 minute responce time, it's 10. Of all the revenue streams to cut back on, emergency services is not a good place to start, or even end. I am still irked that the tax payers voted down the mill levy that would have solved these problems. I believe that part of the reason the Mill Levy failed was beause the City refused to disclose what they would do with the money they no longer had to pay the Fire Department if the levy passed. Everyone expects emergency services to be available and fast to respond but no one want's to pay for it. Instead they pay for a snow machine at Chapman Hill, a purely recreational endevor. It amazes me that people feel so "Entitled" to these services, but no one wants to step up and help pay for them. There's no such thing as a free lunch, or a free ride to the hospital, and you can go bet your neighbors aren't going to put their lives on the line to put out a fire at your house unless their house is directly threatened by your fire (unless of course they happen to be a volunteer fire fighter).
Saturday, November 14, 2009
at 9:31:22 PM
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City Should Pay More than 35% says...
LeBlanc says "fires occur more often in the county"??? What about the Central Hotel fire, the Seasons fire and the Newman building fire? All of which were in Downtown Durango, required significant resources to fight (i.e. expensive), and had the potential for catastrophic injuries and property damage...much more so than fires in La Plata County. Fire and medical emergencies occur both in the City and the County, but the vast majority of both types of emergencies occur, and have the potential to occur, within the City limits of Durango. Just last weekend there was a large apartment fire inside Durango City limits that killed someone. Sounds to me like Mr. Leblanc is out of touch with what occurs in the City he is charged with managing. Go Private, I'd like to see a private company come close to competing with DFRA considering many members of DFRA are unpaid volunteers. City Worker, maybe you should volunteer your services to the City for free like many of the members of DFRA or perhaps if there's ever a fire at Chapman Hill you can come up with a way to use the snowmaking equipment to put out the fire.
Saturday, November 14, 2009
at 8:33:42 PM
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city worker says...
I don't know all the specifics, but money was collected for snow making by a tax that was voted on by the citizens of durango for that specific purpose a few years ago. That money could not be taken and used for a different purpose, i.e to save some of the 14 people the city had to lay off. I feel terrible for those who have lost there jobs
Saturday, November 14, 2009
at 6:02:13 PM
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Derek Burns says...
If the city is so short of money then why did it pay for snow making equipment on Chapman Hill? Who would pay for a private company to come in to provide emergency services to Durango? Cities that have cut fire dept. budgets are seeing an increase in response times. Those increases will cost somebodys life.
Saturday, November 14, 2009
at 4:50:03 PM
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Go Private says...
The Paramedics should of never been taken away from Mercy Hospital. They were paid by the hospital. Now the Fire Department wants more and more, cry babies... Do more with less, we all do. I think the fire department should go out to bid to private companies. I bet they could do it cheaper, and we'd get better service.
Saturday, November 14, 2009
at 9:36:46 AM
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Mr. Taxpayer says...
And when YOUR house burns and there is no or slow response because they had to "get over it?" How about this taxpayer suggested solution. All city department heads, including Mr. LeBlanc, take a 10% pay reduction for the "cause". Then redirect that creative funding to DFRA. I think I would rather sleep soundly at night knowing that my city is safe.
Saturday, November 14, 2009
at 8:54:20 AM
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city worker says...
I work for the city, were overworked, underpaid, have outdated facilities. Get over it, be thankful to have a job in an economy like this. When did we turn into such cry babies, there's plenty of people out there that would trade positions with you