Fire Disrict Vs FireProtection DIstrict

[ajsbear 11]

Seeing the topics about FOIL, another issue comes to mind, the 2 different types of fire districts. There are many fire protection districts within NYS that are actually contracting out fire protection. What are toe pro's and cons of each?

[firefighter36 52]

A fire district is a designated area, with a board of fire commissioners, who establish a fire department. It is an independent governmental entity, and has the power to levy taxes for the purposes of funding services.

A fire Protection district is a designated area, whose services are provided by a fire district under a contract. A fire protection district has no commissioners, and no fire department established. An example of this is a Village Municipal Fire Department that responds to area towns surrounding the village. In Dutchess County, this is how the Rhinebeck Fire Department operates. In Onondaga County (Syracuse Area) the Manlius Village FD responds to the Town of Pompey and surrounding areas.

The town areas in these two examples are fire protection districts, whose tax rates are determined by the municipality/ entity providing service to the aforementioned areas.

[Patch6713 18]

One of the pros of a Fire District is being able to levy taxes. The Board of Fire Commissioners set their own budget and the amount levied by taxes without having to have it be approved through anyone else. One reason this is is because in a Fire District the board is elected by the public and considered its own entity. A Fire Protection District does not levy taxes but gets its money through an approved contract between the municipality and the Fire Department.

[ajsbear 11]

What are the benefits of each?

[16fire5 693]

If you are taking tax dollars from the town to provide the fire protection you are still subject to FOIL. Theoretically the taxpayers have more accountability with a fire district since they elect the commisioners and have public meetings that residents can voice concerns. In the fire protection districts protected by private not for profit membership corporations or whatever they are the public's input on fire protection is much more limited. I would say the only check on this is the contract in which the town or village may not have other options for fire protection. I think the perception that only us the fire department has the ability to make decisions on fire protection because we are the experts is arrogant. It disregards the fact that places like New York, Yonkers, New Rochelle ect. provide excellent fire protection where ultimate control lies with civillians. It is by no means perfect and it requires true leadership by our chiefs and our unions to advocate for firefighter and public safety.

[firefighter36 52]

The contract between an FD and a Fire protection district is made yearly, or on another time constraint, as far as I know. Such a contract would absolutely be subject to FOIL. A good place to go research would be your local Tax Assessor's Office to see what the tax levied to the Protection District is, and work from there. One could also reasonably believe that the Commissioner/ Board/ Political-Based FIscal Manager, etc. of the Entity that is providing the service to the FPD would be the ones who set the "rate" for service, i.e. how much the FPD will pay for coverage for the year.

I know of a Fire Protection District that is contracted for service from a Village FD. (Combination Career/Volunteer FD with ALS Ambulance)Being a municipal FD, they can bill to recover cost of EMS service. Subsequently, the Village Mayor/ Town Supervisor often work out a "rebate" to the Town's taxpayers. Disclaimer: I am not sure of all the particulars in how it is worked out, this information came to me in some research I was doing for another project.

A Fire Protection District is not a way to automatically run away with a fire department or tax money. Conversely, an entity providing service to an FPD could theoretically pull a deal apart by charging entirely too much for service. Remember, there are some AG/Comptroller reports and decisions out there that say a government agency cannot use EMS Billing or Contracts and Fees Charged as a "funding stream" i.e. to make a profit.

I would also ventue to say that Ideally, as long as the Municipal FD or Fire District was fiscally responsible, made reasonable purchases, and had justified expenses, there should be minimal issues with the public and politicians, but then again, public perception and politics is a whole other thread for a whole other time.

Hope this helps.