Get the Facts About the Fire Assessment

Total Fire Department calls increased significantly.

But total calls are not the same as fire calls.

A large portion of the increase came from medical response. The fire assessment study says approximately 78% of the department's calls are medical.

Using the 166% number without explaining what types of calls increased gives residents an incomplete picture.

The City Manager has confirmed that DeFuniak Springs is still rated ISO 5X.

ISO evaluated the department earlier this year, but the City has not received a new rating.

Until ISO issues a new rating, claims that the City has already achieved Class 4 are not supported.

Walton County Fire Rescue currently has a better ISO rating than the DeFuniak Springs Fire Department.

That does not guarantee what rating the City would receive under a future agreement, but it does show there is no basis to simply assume County service would make our rating worse.

The increase in calls is real.

But the fire assessment study says approximately 78% of Fire Department calls are medical.

The large increase in total calls happened after the Fire Chief asked for approval and certification for the department to begin responding to more medical calls.

That decision greatly increased the department's workload.

It also increased staffing costs because EMTs and paramedics cost more, and it placed more wear on fire vehicles being used for non-fire calls.

Residents are being told that insurance savings could offset most or all of the $238 assessment.

No insurance company, actuarial study, or other documented source has been presented to support the claimed $150 to $300 yearly savings.

The Fire Chief was also asked directly what ISO rating the City's proposed plan could achieve and did not provide a clear answer.

There is no documented connection showing that paying the assessment will produce these savings.

No insurance study has been presented showing that a partnership with Walton County would increase homeowner insurance by $300 to $600.

The claim depends on first assuming that County service would cause a major ISO downgrade. That assumption has not been proven either.

No ISO study has been presented showing that a partnership with Walton County would result in a Class 6 or Class 7 rating.

Walton County Fire Rescue currently has a better ISO rating than the DeFuniak Springs Fire Department.

Claims about a future City rating should be based on an actual service plan and ISO analysis.

The Fire Department presented a five-year and ten-year plan to the City Council.

That plan did not tell the Council that it would achieve ISO Class 3.

The Fire Chief has never presented documentation showing how the plan would move the City to Class 3.

ISO Class 3 has now become a major selling point for the assessment, but it was not part of the plan originally presented to Council.

Firefighters, equipment, water systems, training, and other factors can affect ISO ratings.

But no ISO roadmap has been presented showing how many points the City currently has, how many more points are needed, or how the proposed spending would reach Class 3.

There is no documented calculation tying the assessment to a Class 3 rating.

Water supply, including water mains and hydrants, can play an important role in an ISO rating.

But the Fire Chief has never presented the City Council with a plan showing what water system improvements are needed to improve our ISO rating.

No analysis has been presented showing how many additional ISO points could be gained, which water projects would earn those points, or what those projects would cost.

If water infrastructure is now being presented as part of the path to a better ISO rating, that analysis should have been done and presented to the Council as part of the Fire Department's plan.

There is an important difference between having four people working a shift and having four firefighters assigned to one fire engine.

More importantly, the Fire Department's own plan does not maintain four-person crews once the proposed second fire station is opened.

Under the plan presented to Council, available staffing would be divided between two stations, resulting in three-person crews.

The City Manager specifically called this out during a public meeting.

So while "four-man crews" are now being used to promote the assessment, the long-term plan being used to justify the assessment would actually reduce those crews to three when the second station opens.

The Fire Department plan does not immediately add all of the proposed new firefighters.

The staffing increases are planned over future years.

Residents would begin paying the assessment before many of the staffing improvements being discussed actually happen.

Some grants can pay firefighter salaries.

The federal SAFER program was created specifically to help fire departments hire firefighters.

It is not accurate to say that grant funding cannot be used for firefighter salaries.

The Fire Department should aggressively pursue grants.

But grants are competitive and cannot be treated as guaranteed income.

The DeFuniak Springs Fire Department has not historically applied for or received large amounts of grant funding on a regular basis.

The department has averaged roughly $20,000 per year in grants, while the Police Department has regularly brought in more than $100,000.

A long-term fire plan cannot be built on a hope and prayer that future grants will arrive.

CDBG funds can sometimes be used for eligible water and infrastructure projects.

But the Fire Chief has never presented the City Council with a plan identifying CDBG-eligible projects that would improve DeFuniak Springs' ISO rating.

No analysis has been presented showing which projects are needed, how many ISO points they could produce, what they would cost, or whether they would qualify for CDBG funding.

CDBG funds also have many competing uses. The City's last awarded CDBG project was used for sewer infrastructure.

It is one thing to list CDBG as a possible source of money. It is another to have an actual project, demonstrate that it would improve our ISO rating, show that it qualifies for CDBG funding, and make it a City priority.

That work has not been presented to the Council.

The City has not refused reasonable Fire Department grant matching money when it has been requested.

In fact, this year's budget specifically included approximately $30,000 in matching money for a fire truck grant.

There is no demonstrated history showing that the Fire Department has lost major grants because the City could not provide a required match.

ISO ratings can affect insurance rates.

But no insurance study has been presented showing that DeFuniak Springs homeowners would automatically save 8% to 12% by moving to Class 3.

Insurance companies set their own rates, and no documentation has been provided to support this specific percentage.

No formal analysis has been presented showing that Walton County response times inside DeFuniak Springs would be 8 to 15 minutes.

A City-County agreement would determine how local coverage would actually work.

Without such an agreement, these response-time claims are assumptions.

A partnership with Walton County would not simply happen without rules.

The City and County could negotiate an agreement covering station locations, staffing, response expectations, and local coverage.

Claims about how County units would be deployed should be based on an actual agreement, not assumptions about what might happen.

No formal County staffing proposal has been presented showing that a partnership would cut on-scene staffing in half.

Any City-County agreement would need to spell out how many firefighters, engines, and other resources would serve DeFuniak Springs.

Until that happens, claims about staffing being cut in half are speculation.

The City could negotiate a detailed service agreement with Walton County.

That agreement could include requirements for stations, staffing, equipment, response, and other service expectations.

The City could also choose not to allow the County fire assessment to be imposed inside the City limits.

That would give the City significant financial leverage if County service failed to meet the agreement.

A partnership would change how fire service is managed, but it would not leave the City powerless.

Grants should absolutely be pursued.

But grants are competitive, limited, and not guaranteed.

The same campaign promoting grants as a way to avoid burdening taxpayers is also arguing that taxpayers must pay a new $238 yearly assessment.

Both claims cannot be treated as complete answers by themselves.

The City needs a realistic plan based on dependable revenue, not hoped-for grants.

The Fire Department plan includes renovations to the existing fire station around years two or three.

The proposed ladder truck comes later.

The current station cannot fit the proposed ladder truck, but the renovation plan does not clearly say the bays will be extended to accommodate it.

That could mean renovating the station once and then returning later for another expensive round of construction at an unknown cost.

The plan also uses today's estimated costs for projects that may happen years from now.

It does not clearly account for inflation or future increases in construction, equipment, and labor costs.

The actual cost of the plan could therefore be much higher than the numbers being shown today.