Editor’s Note: The following is a letter sent to property owners in Blue River by Blue River Volunteer Fire Department explaining why it wants the Blue River Improvement District to borrow money to purchase a new fire truck.
An earlier letter from BRID put the amount to be borrowed at $385,000.
Editor, The Times:
The Blue River Improvement District is requesting property owner’s approval to secure a loan in order to purchase a newer fire truck. On Wednesday, Sept. 2 at 7 p.m. a special meeting will be held at the Blue River Community Hall to inform and allow land owners to vote on this matter.
The Fire Department requires a more current truck to maintain the current fire grade. Because the current fire truck was purchased by the BRID in 1982, it is now no longer fit for first line firefighting.
The Fire Underwriters; the organization who grade fire services in communities for insurance companies, state that any fire truck older than 20 years old is not fit for duty as a primary firefighting truck due to reliability issues. If a fire department does not possess a current, fully inspected truck that meets the Fire Underwriter’s standards then all fire grades will be lost until such time a proper apparatus is in place.
There are many other standards to be met in order to achieve and maintain different levels of fire insurance coverage for communities. To date, the BRID has been working hard to retrofit and retrain the fire department to meet all other standards set out by the Fire Underwriters, as well as the newly released BC Firefighting Playbook, but without a new fire truck our fire grade will not be maintained.
The recent letter that was sent out may have caused some confusion or worry on the tax increase needed for the purchase of the new fire truck, but here are two examples that easily demonstrates the proposed increase:
Example A: 2015 property tax assessment, $80,200; 2015 BRID payment, $110.28; Proposed 2016 BRID payment, $186.38; Increase, 76.10.
Example B: 2015 property tax assessment, $161,876.65; 2015 BRID payment, $222.60; Proposed 2016 BRID payment, $376.19; Increase, $153.59.
The proposed increase ONLY RELATES TO THE BRID LINE OF YOUR PROPERTY TAXES and does not affect any other part of your property taxes. THIS INCREASE IS SIGNIFICANTLY LESS THAN POSSIBLE INSURANCE COSTS SHOULD WE LOSE OUR FIRE INSURANCE GRADE.
On Sept. 2, please come out and support your local volunteer firefighters and vote YES to help us acquire a newer fire truck to help keep us all safe. Even if you cannot vote, please come and show your support and meet some of your local firefighters. If you have any further questions you would like answered before the meeting please send them to the above email and we will be happy to get back to you as soon as possible.
Warm regards,
Blue River Volunteer Fire Department
