The State of ESD 47
Right before Covid hit, I made a promise to some that I was going to give a "State of the ESD 47" report. Well, I think that now is as good as any so here is my State of the ESD 47 review and look forward.
I will go back to 2019, again before the pandemic started. Having purchased a training tower the previous year, we, at Westlake Fire Department's request, added some enhancements to the tower so that they can train for both a commercial building fire and a house fire. We purchased thermal imaging cameras for all of the fire apparatus as the then current ones were terribly outdated. With the violence towards public first responders on the rise, we purchased body armor for their protection. Because Westlake had so many volunteers staying at the fire station at nights, there was not enough beds. At Westlake's request, we purchased Murphy Beds to be installed around the station, allowing for more volunteers to be at the station over night. The air packs that Westlake was using at the time were outdated and getting severely worn. At Westlake's request, we purchased a new set of air packs to increase firefighter safety. We also purchased battery powered extrication tools to allow for rescue extrications in remote or hard to access areas.
That's just the small equipment. In the last two years, ESD 47 purchased two duty officer Tahoe trucks, a Rescue Pumper, two Type I ambulances, a utility truck, and a water tender (tanker) truck -- all paid for by check. NO loans or time payments were made for any of these purchases.
In our September meeting, we authorized the purchase of new two way radios for Westlake so that they can better communicate with neighboring departments. As you can clearly see, ESD 47 has been working hard to bring the Westlake Fire Department up to the highest standards with equipment.
Going forward, we are looking at acquiring land to one day build a second fire station. Also, we are researching a traffic light control system. Have you ever been stuck at a red light and a fire truck rolls up behind you? This traffic light control system will have turned your light green well before the fire truck arrived.
So now I've saved the best for last. In our September meeting, the ESD 47 commissioners reviewed its year 2022 budget, and while it may have been easy to raise taxes to cover it, we decided to keep our property tax rate the same as last year. Unlike some taxing authorities, we are not raising our property tax rate! The rate for the next ad valorem property tax cycle is still $0.084 per $100 valuation.
As I close, I should point out that going forward, ESD 47 will be working with a new Westlake Fire Chief. After a long and dedicated career, Mark Palmer has retired as the Westlake chief. After an exhaustive search, Shannon Draper was chosen to lead the Department. He has an outstanding resume'. He will serve the District's people and property with true professionalism.
Until next month, stay safe.
Brian Havran