Election Info.

Middleton Gazette June 2010 Article click here

CRITICAL

Community Safety Information

On May 25, 2010 the Middleton Rural Fire District (MRFD) Board of Commissioners asked the citizens of the district to vote on a Maintenance and Operation Levy. This levy would NOT have raised your taxes. Taxes would have remained the same as approved by the voters in August of 2007. The August 2007 temporary levy override was a result of the catastrophic Middleton High School Fire in February 2007. Out of a population of approximately 18,000 within the fire district response area, only 5% turned out to the polls. Out of the 5% of voters 3% voted against the levy and have decided the fate of your Fire Department for the rest of the community.

Middleton Rural Fire District

Levy Election Results

May 25, 2010

Yes Votes – 514 * No Votes – 577

Super Majority Needed

On May 29, 2010 the Board of Commissioners called an Emergency Meeting to discuss the future options for the fire department based on the election results. This meeting was open to the public and only local media and fire department personnel attended.

The Commissioners expressed that this election was the most important to the district, yet ended up being the most detrimental in the districts history. With the outcome of the election, the commissioners are very concerned for the SAFETY of the community. After a lengthy discussion and review of the services provided by MRFD, the commissioners have come up with the following 3 options.

Option 1 – Revert back to the 2007 Maintenance & Operation levy
Option 2 – Ask the voters to approve an Emergency Levy Override with elections to be held August 3, 2010
Option 3 – Consolidation of emergency services with another Fire District in the area.

Members of the community are urged to attend the next Board Meeting to give their input on the community and fire departments future on Monday, June 14, 2010 at 7:30pm. Board Meetings are held at Middleton Fire Station 1.

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Frequently Asked Questions & Answers

Q: Currently when I call 911 for a fire or medical emergency what is the average time it take for the Fire Department to arrive at my house?

A: Currently MRFD average response time is 5 min. Keep in mind times may vary depending on the location of your home.

Q: If the Fire Department is to operates, based on the results of the election on May 25, 2010, how long might it take MRFD to arrive at my house after January 1, 2011?

A: Operating the budget from option 1 will result in an all volunteer fire department. With this in mind, the response times could take up to an average of 15 min or longer, depending on volunteer availability.

Q: How many Firefighters are on duty at any given time?

A: MRFD currently provide Emergency Services 24/7, with a staff of 9 Career Firefighters and 30 Reserves Firefighters.

7:00 am – 7:00pm 3 Career firefighters
7:00pm – 7:00am 2 Career firefighters
Reserve firefighters fill in when they are available.

Q: When I call 911 for an ambulance why does a fire truck arrive?

A: Fire department personnel are trained and certified by the state of Idaho as Emergency Medical Technician – Basic level. EMT’s are able to provide basic life support and stabilization of the sick and injured while awaiting advance life support units.

Q: How many calls per year does MRFD respond to?

A: In 2009 MRFD responded to about 928 calls for service. This breaks down to 77.3 calls per month. In 2002 the fire department responded to 497 calls for service or 41.4 calls per month. In just over 8 years the call volume has doubled and is projected to increase this year.

Q: MRFD announced last month that they received a SAFER grant thru FEMA to help with staffing. How does this affect the community?

A: The staffing for adequate Fire and Emergency Response Grant (SAFER) was created to provide funding directly to fire departments and volunteer firefighters interested organizations in order to help them increase number of trained “frontline” firefighters available in their community. The goal of SAFER is to enhance the local fire departments ability to comply with staffing response and operation standards. Unfortunately due to the election results this grant worth $200,000.00 may not be able to be utilized at this time due to future budget constraints.

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