In Focus

Let’s talk about fire departments and how unfairly they are funded.

Imagine the constant struggle of our local fire departments and volunteer ambulances, always on the brink of falling behind mandates and compliance, as they tirelessly fundraise for new equipment. And yet, the state’s assistance is very minimal.

There are FEMA and DNR grants available; a department is lucky if they get them, as the grants are competitive.

And God forbid should there be an unforeseen expense or something happen that needs repair or complete replacement.

There are organizations like Sourcewell that have been beneficial, but nothing comes for free.

The state released a one-time public safety aid of $300 million which is divided among the counties and cities, 30% to counties and tribal governments, and 70% to cities and towns with a population over 10,000. That means our small towns received peanuts in terms of aid dollars. Hewitt, for example, received just a hair over $11,000. And with emergency equipment costing the blood of your firstborn, how much would that cover? Not much in my opinion! Approximately one SCBA (self-contained breathing apparatus) and someone to spit on a tire to make it look new.

Hibbing, population of just over 10,000, received over $702,000. Because, once again, the dollars go to the big city and nobody gives a flying fig about our small cities. They give the large cities the steak while we get the fat on the bone.

Our small-town volunteers are constantly fighting to stay ahead with the same rules and regulations every department faces. They will never get ahead or even stand on level ground because of our low population density, and these algorithms (procedures for calculating data) are giving us the bottom of the barrel.

How the heck can a small rural fire department purchase new equipment when OSHA requires it every ten years?

The state budgets for firefighter training and certification and fire marshals...that’s it! Basically, here’s your license; now you are on your own.

Did that training include Fundraising 101? You don’t see law enforcement out there hosting fundraisers...“bake sales for bullets”...as one firefighter told me. Well, it’s true. And to be clear...I have nothing against law enforcement. Sheriff’s departments budget annually and ask their commissioners to approve that budget to pay for salaries and equipment. Firefighters and EMTs don’t have that luxury because they are volunteers; their “salary” is maybe $2 per hour on call, and the firefighters can retire if they stick it out long enough.

Fire departments charge for fires and accident calls, which varies by department. Locally, approximately $600 per call for the first hour, give or take. Yes, it’s a source of income, but also highly unreliable as it is not a steady income as they can go through long periods of time without a call. If these departments need something, they are often told they need to fundraise. It’s kind of like a slap in the face!

There are standby fees paid by townships, and that assists in covering regular expenses. So why isn’t there something more steady and regular than competitive grants to help these volunteer fire departments and ambulance services? Cities do get local government aid annually—why not an annual stipend for fire and ambulance departments? Can the cities help these departments? Yes, but do they have that kind of money? No! The only way to get some more funding is to raise taxes.

Everyone stood up to defend law enforcement and backed the blue, but who is backing the red and the white?