A decline in local volunteers, coupled with increasing costs, aging equipment and stiffening industry compliance standards, has put the Melbourne Beach Volunteer Fire Department in a tight spot.
Department leaders say they now need the town’s help to maintain a high level of service to residents. Fire Chief Dave Micka, who has been with the department for 33 years as an unpaid volunteer, and Gavin Brown, who is employed and paid though the town as the fire station manager, and also serves in a volunteer capacity as deputy chief, requested the commission approve an incentive to help spur more dedicated volunteers to step up.
In a presentation before the commission earlier this month, Micka said the current model was not sustainable and suggested increasing the stipend.
“The stipend is a first step to see if we can incentivize people to volunteer,” Micka said. “If that doesn’t work, the next step is paid personnel.”
According to the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC), the number of volunteer firefighters in the United States “reached a low in 2019” because of issues like increased time commitments, extensive training requirements, and residents who must work more hours to sustain their finances – leaving them less time to volunteer.
Currently, a minimum of 206 hours of training must be completed to serve as a fire department volunteer, and each volunteer receives a small stipend for each call they attend.
If the department’s plan is approved, a larger stipend could be offered.
“The trend we are seeing now is that even though we have the same number of volunteers we had in the past, a large percentage live out of town,” Brown said. “We are required to be on scene in nine minutes, so if a volunteer lives more than nine minutes from the station that can cause an issue.”
Brown, who joined the department on his 18th birthday, has been with it for 13 years.
He believes the merits of having a hometown fire department go beyond the obvious safety benefits – noting the extensive community involvement of department volunteers at school events, fundraisers and organized holiday gatherings like the annual Christmas parade and haunted house.
He also said it’s important to note that having a fire department within 1.5 miles of every residence means that property insurance rates are significantly reduced.
The cost of new equipment is also a concern for Micka.
A ladder truck can cost anywhere from $400,000 to $750,000 – and the equipment required to fight fires is constantly increasing due to ever-changing safety requirements.
According to the NVFC, the cost of training and equipping a firefighter can exceed $20,000, plus recurring costs of refresher training and periodic safety gear replacement.
To help offset costs, Micka has applied for numerous grants and received thousands of dollars in grant money for equipment and supplies over the years. But he says the competition for grant money has increased substantially, and there’s just not enough dollars to go around anymore.
Among the commission members, it has also been suggested that the fire department budget could be removed from the general budget, which would allow them to establish a separate tax/dedicated funding base for the fire department.
The topic will be discussed at a workshop next year and public meetings may be held to solicit feedback from residents.
Currently the Melbourne Beach Volunteer Fire Department budget is just under $226,000, with 35 volunteers and one paid firefighter – Brown.
By comparison, the Indialantic Fire Department has a budget of $778,767 with seven paid firefighters (two on duty each shift) and 13 volunteers.
Melbourne Beach Mayor Jim Simmons said they currently have $100,000 in the draft of the 2020 budget for a stipend program, but the details on how the program will work have not yet been finalized.
“This is a very, very significant increase over this past year and represents a major change hoping to reduce declining numbers and incentivize volunteer enrollment,” Simmons said. “The fire department has provided a plan for review, but the commission has not yet really begun that review.”
