Fire District to ask for millage increase
The Matlacha/Pine Island Fire Control District Board of Commissioners has taken action to ask island residents to consider authorizing an increase to the millage cap from 3.00 to 3.75 mills – a 25 percent increase. The issue has been placed on the ballot for the March 15, 2016, primary election. The last time residents were asked for an increase was 2014.
“Our primary goal is to build and open Station #4 on Matlacha,” Deputy Chief Mickuleit said. “The reason we need Station #4 is to provide equal response time anywhere in our district. The average response time from Station #1 on Pine Island is 5 to 6 minutes. The average response time to outlying areas (Matlacha, Matlacha Isles and Cape Royal) is 11 minutes.”
Homeowners often pay higher insurance rates when their homes have an ISO (Insurance Services Offices) rating of 9 or 10 because their homes are outside the established 5-mile limit. M/PIFCD currently has 14-16-minute response times to Matlacha, Matlacha Isles and Cape Royal.
According to Mickuleit, the M/PIFCD is down three firefighters. Until about a year ago, the department had 32 employees but is now down to 29.
“We will need to replace those three and add three when the Matlacha Station is finished.”
For every 24-hour shift there are 8 firefighters on staff at all times: 1 captain, 4 engineers and 3 firefighters.
“Plus we have two Lee County EMS on at all times,” he said.
“Our equipment is very outdated,” Mickuleit said. “The average life expectancy for a fire truck is 10 years but our oldest front-line engine currently in service is from 1995 double its life expectancy. A new truck costs from $275,000 – $300,000 range and that doesn’t include the equipment the equipment is extra.”
One of the biggest issues the department faces is outdated extraction tools. The National Fire Protection Association regulations state that extraction tools must be replaced every 10 years.
“Some of our extraction tools are from 1996,” Mickuleit said. “One big issue is that the auto manufacturers are using stronger steels in the newer cars and our equipment just can’t cut through it.”
“The millage increase we are asking for amounts to 36 cents per day or $131.75 annually on a house with a taxable value of $175,000, Mickuleit said. “And, a few months ago we did a fundraiser at the Moose. We have other fundraisers scheduled but this only raises a small amount of money each time. This increase is important to the fire department.”