Enhance Elmore proposed fees to aid fire departments

Fighting fires costs a lot of money — and those costs just keep increasing. From equipment to transportation, necessary fees for fire departments have steadily increased over the last couple of decades. 

The protective turnout gear for firefighters cost $2,500 in 2005; today, it costs $4,500. The breathing backpacks went from $5,000 to $9,000.

Fire trucks have also gotten more expensive. According to Elmore County Firefighter’s Association president and Millbrook fire chief Larry Cooper, the vehicles were $230,000 in 2005. The most recent truck purchased was just under triple that amount. 

“The last we bought in 2021 was $650,000,” Cooper said. “They are more expensive now and the wait time is about two years.”

Calls have increased as well. In 2005, the department received about 1,500 calls. Last year, that number doubled to more than 3,000 calls.

Since 2005 the fees collected for fire protection in Elmore County have remained the same — $50 per property parcel with a home or business. 

“But each year your insurance rates have gone down since the implementation of this,” Brown said. “Every department has worked hard to lower the (Insurance Services Office) rating. With that, insurance rates go down.”

Under the proposed Enhance Elmore plan, part of the increased fees and assessments would go to fire departments. According to Elmore County Commission chair Bart Mercer, the increase would be about double and would also help with EMS response. Since 2009 requests for EMS have doubled as well.

Property owners would pay $25 per land only parcel, $150 per residential parcel and $300 per commercial parcel.

“We have never collected on land only,” Mercer said. “Yet we have an increase in calls for grass and wildfires on those types of properties.”