Residents of rural Sandoval County won’t notice a difference in how their fire service operates, county Fire Chief Christopher Bagley said July 23.
But a resolution approved by county commissioners will mean behind-the-scenes rewards for all eight volunteer fire districts involved.
“I can assure you that this is only an administrative procedure that will have no operational impact to the existing fire districts,” Bagley told commissioners, regarding the consolidation of the districts for certain financial purposes.
He said the action is highly encouraged by the State Fire Marshal’s Office, and will improve efficiency and streamline delivery of service to county residents.
Bagley said chiefs of the volunteer fire districts will still be in charge of operating their own territories, and duties and expectations will remain the same, but the combined entity will be able to draw money from “one larger budget instead of eight smaller budgets, which will increase our ability to undertake county wide projects that benefit all of the districts.”
In addition, Bagley said, the Insurance Services Office will issue one ISO rating from the entire county, which would almost certainly bring down the ratings in remote districts. The rating is an assessment of a community’s fire protection capabilities; a lower score indicates greater protection and potentially lower insurance premiums for property owners.
Commission Chair Michael Meek praised state authorities for encouraging the consolidation and other efficiency efforts.
“It’s nice that the state is always working well with all the fire departments, wanting us all to be successful,” Meek said. “That’s going to give us an opportunity to be lighter on our feet in terms of budgeting and acquiring things.”
Commissioner Katherine Bruch asked whether the affected districts had been notified.
Bagley said the chiefs of those districts had been informed and were all in support of the move.