In an effort to make better use of the financial and human resources of the county’s fire service, the Valencia County Commission approved the dissolution of the four current fire districts in favor of one, county-wide district.
The recommendation to dissolve the four districts — Los Chavez, Tomé, Valencia Del Norte and fire administration — came from Valencia County Fire Chief Matt Propp at the Sept. 6 county commission meeting.
VCFD Chief Matt Propp
Propp said during a pre-ISO evaluation earlier this year, it became clear the county was in jeopardy of losing funding for some of its stations.
“This is what we were told by ISO (Insurance Services Office) and the state fire marshal. Each district had a station in jeopardy of losing funding,” Propp said.
A district’s ISO rating is a reflection of it’s ability to protect the community based on factors, such as personnel numbers, training, equipment, water supply and emergency community systems. A rating is issued on a scale of 1 to 10, with the closer to 1 a department scores, the better. A good ISO rating leads to lower property insurance premiums for residents and businesses in the department or district’s area of coverage.
Dissolving the existing districts and reconstituting as one, county-wide district won’t change things structurally in terms of people, Propp said.
“We will still have our chiefs overseeing their districts,” he said. “The advantage to them, is personnel and equipment won’t be tied to a district. They will be able to respond anywhere. This maximizes our staff, both career and volunteer and, in essence, helps with our ISO rating.”
The three fire districts that receive ISO ratings — Tomé, Valencia Del Norte and Los Chavez — currently have ratings of 4, 5 and 7, respectively. Propp said the single district will likely be reevaluated at an ISO of 4 or 5.
“We have to consolidate, then ISO will reevaluate a year after the date the state fire marshal approves it,” Propp said. “Most of the county won’t see a difference. Some will see an increase in the ISO rating, which will mean a decrease for their insurance rates. If we don’t take action, the ISO ratings in all districts would decline”
During the pre-ISO evaluation, Propp said staff numbers was the main concern.
“With three, independent districts, each has to maintain its own staff numbers for ISO. They don’t count for other districts,” he said. “Like departments across the country, we’ve seen a decline in career and volunteer staff. (Consolidation) allows us to say all Valencia County members count. Without adequate staff, that could drop a district from 4 to a 10, which would remove funding and essentially shut them down.
“We’ve had extensive talks with the fire marshal and we’re not taking this lightly. This is a big decision. It’s happening statewide for the same reasons. This will also allow our fleet to move freely. Right now, if a piece of equipment breaks down in Los Chavez, we can’t move something over from another district. This will allow us to use our fleet and staff more effectively, and ultimately our budget, by consolidating into one district.”
Propp said he has met several times with the volunteer staff and district chiefs and been very up front about the situation.
“It’s an uncomfortable situation. We discussed a lot of possible solutions and options,” he said. “We’ve involved membership and the chiefs in the discussion. We agreed this is the right thing for the community and the department if it’s going to succeed and survive. It was inevitable.”
With all eight county fire stations now in one district, Propp said he would be bringing a strategic plan for the department to the commission in the future.
“I am proud we are growing into a professional organization and this will help in that,” the chief said.
Julia M. Dendinger began working at the VCNB in 2006. She covers Valencia County government, Belen Consolidated Schools and the village of Bosque Farms. She is a member of the Society of Professional Journalists Rio Grande chapter’s board of directors.
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April 25, 2024
