Bond Information

What is a Bond issue as it applies to the Fire District?

A Bond issue places a question before the voters as a ballot measure which asks for approval for additional spending for fire stations, trucks, and life saving equipment.

What will the money be used for?

• A new and staffed fire station in the North Eastern quadrant of our district which would place crews directly in the region with 65% of the call volume. Expected reduction in response times from 8 minutes and 27 seconds to less than 5 minutes. This would pay for land acquisition, architectural design and construction.
• Replace / Add Apparatus to meet service needs of the District (add storage space to hold adequate equipment, etc) and to come into NFPA compliance (Move apparatus that is older than 10 years old to reserve status and retire apparatus that is older than 15 years)
• A versatile new Ladder Truck in the North Eastern quadrant (New Station 3) to adequately service the needs of the region and to provide new service capabilities to the district.
• 7 out of 8 frontline apparatus do not meet NFPA compliance.
• Currently 2 front line engines exceed 10 years of age, 1 exceeds 25 years
• Our current Ladder truck exceeds 20 years old
• Our current 2 Water Tenders exceed 20 years old
• Our current 2 Brush Trucks exceed 20 years old
• Allows the district to begin a Nationally recommended NFPA and ISO replacement schedule for the following. These items have a service life and expiration time at which it is recommended to place them out of service:
• Fire trucks
• Fire resistive protective gear
• Self Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBAs allow our firefighters to breathe inside of hot and toxic environments)
• Replace Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus due to age of equipment, wear and tear and damage to equipment, and to provide safe equipment for fire personnel to work with. Replacement of equipment allows BFPD to come into compliance with the new NFPA standards for SCBAs.
• Replace Personnel, Apparatus, and Station Radios with Radios that are serviceable by the manufacturer (Motorola 1500s have been discontinued). P-25 compliant, and can access the MOSWIN system to become NIMS compliant with State of Missouri Emergency Operations Plans.
• Replace and purchase additional medical equipment, such as Cardiac Monitors and AEDs. These Life Saving Devices need to be available on all apparatus to ensure their constant availability. These devices have a limited life span and are subject to wear and tear just like other equipment on the trucks.
• Much needed updates and repairs to our existing Fire Stations and Equipment. To make properties safe and functional for the Firefighters while being more attractive to the community.
• Frees up money from the levy that is presently being used for capital purchases, maintenance and repairs. That money can be put toward improving our Firefighters' wages and benefits which are falling behind compared to almost all of the other area fire departments. The levy that voters approved in 2021 has now been cut back as per the Hancock Amendment, which is presently not keeping up with the inflation rates of wages, insurance, and equipment. Firefighter wages and benefits, including insurance costs have been drastically affected by the high inflation rates which is a factor in recruiting and retaining the talented people this district deserves.

What is the cost of a new Fire Station, fire trucks and other needed equipment?

• Fire Station 3, including land acquisition, architectural and engineering design and construction is estimated to cost the district 3.5 to 4 million dollars.
• New Ladder truck - $1.5 million
• Three Replacement Pumper Engines $800,000 each, totaling $2.4 million dollars.
• Two replacement Water Tenders and 1 additional Water Tender to the fleet at $225,000 each - $825,000
• SCBA (Self Contained Breathing Apparatus) allows the district to be in compliance with the new NFPA standards for SCBA - 40 Packs at $8,500 each - $340,000
• Replacement Bunker Gear - 70 sets at $6,000 per set - $420,000

When will we see the improvements?

We plan to have a new station on line in approximately 2 years after the first bond issue. This would include the purchase of a new Ladder Truck to be housed at this new station. The remaining truck and equipment purchases would take place over the next 3 to 5 years.

Will this bond require a tax increase?

Yes. The Board of Directors is committed to keeping this levy as low as possible by issuing the bonds in several phases and only when the money is needed to complete a purchase or project. This would keep the additional levy at the lowest possible amount. In this way, the money would come available as the projects and purchases are spread out over the coming years. The district estimates the bonds would be issued in three steps over the next four years with an initial estimated levy of $.14c increasing to $.28c in 4 years.