'It's a safety issue'

The Carbon County Council of Governments (CCCOG) held a special meeting on August 18 at the newly renovated Carbon Building - Courthouse Annex.

The meeting was a continued discussion from the July 21 regularly scheduled meeting (see "More expensive, more stringent" on page 6 of the July 28 Saratoga Sun). Carbon County Fire Chief John Rutherford had come before CCCOG to make a case the county should consider creating a fire district.

In that meeting, Rutherford said he believed if Carbon County had a fire district, there would be quicker response times and the district could improve insurance ratings and lower premiums. He said the best advantage to having a fire district was the monies generated would specifically be for fire and rescue operations.

Many CCCOG members took Rutherford's presentation to their town councils and CCCOG Chairman Travis Moore felt a special meeting between fire chiefs and CCCOG was warranted.

"We all got a chance to review the presentation and see the ins and outs of it in detail and got into the type of ballot initiative we could have and we have a couple choices," Moore said. "Within those choices, we wanted to make sure it came from the municipalities on which course of action that we should take, since this has been a very participatory process through the fire chiefs, the towns and through CCCOG and then we are going to go back o go back down and see what folks want to do to move forward. We are looking at getting this on the ballot in November."

Moore said there might have to be a delay on November depending on how the ballot initiative was crafted.

He said one option is the Board of Carbon County Commissioners create a resolution to create a fire district. Moore said the only likely way the commissioners would consider this option was if a recommendation came from all the fire chiefs and members of CCCOG.

"If this is the recommendation coming from CCCOG and the chiefs, which have checked with their constituencies, then it is not the commissioners doing something the people don't want to do," Moore said. "If it comes with your blessings, it is going to be a lot easier to sell, if that is the way you decide to go."

The other option Moore said was viable was the petitioning process. Twenty-five percent of 25 percent of all the land value in each municipality and unincorporated Carbon County. He said it would take some time. Moore clarified, all municipalities must join at the same time. At the previous meeting, it was thought only a few could join the district while others could opt out and possibly come in later.

"I am not asking anyone tonight to make a decision all on your own," Moore said. "It is something you need to talk to your folks back home about. I just think we should have recording day when you think you can come up with a date from your folks."

Moore reminded CCCOG, if either way was taken, it would take two years before the district would be up and running. He also pointed out consideration of who should be on the board needed to be addressed.

Hypothetical situations were put forth by CCCOG members and fire chiefs from the towns. Hanna Fire Chief Mark Kostovny made a point Moore said he himself could not have put more eloquently.

"With elected officials here now, they can tell me if I am right or wrong," Kostovny started. "Their budgets are decreasing just as the county's is. The reality to me is, if we don't do something about this today, we aren't going to have fire service out in the rural county five years from now. There isn't going to be anybody to pay for it."

He said none of the municipalities were going to have the funds to be able to take care of any area but their own.

"County fire is supplying equipment to municipalities to fight fires in the county, and is that money still going to be available five years from now?" Kostovny commented. "That is what we have to focus on. And if elected officials think it is not a problem, then it isn't a problem."

Kostovny said he felt it was a serious issue.

"If Hanna took the fire department back, I would only need three trucks instead of the eight that are there," Kostovny said. "The majority of the fires we respond to are outside of town. You take away my responsibility to outside of town, I need less but does that make the county safer? I don't think so. That is the point we need to get out there for the public to understand. It is a safety issue."

Moore said for future generations wholived anywhere in the county, if a call goes out, people need to come.

CCCOG representatives will go before their councils in the month to come and, by September 15, let Moore know the town's attitude towards how and if a fire district should be formed.