BEAVER LAKE (KFSM) – The Beaver Lake Fire Department will not receive the funds it had hoped for after a fee increase measure was voted down in Tuesday’s (July 13) special election.
The measure failed by just 9 percent.
Those who receive their emergency services from the Beaver Lake Fire Department pay a $75 annual tax. The measure would have raised it to $200.
Fire Chief John Whisenant said the money was going to be used to staff the fire station 24/7 with three firefighters.
“We had a strong social media campaign and talked amongst the community for the past six months but perhaps we didn`t reach enough people and they misunderstood the need,” said John Whisenant.
Whisenant is the only full-time paid firefighter. The department has a part-time paid position but now it will have to be eliminated.
The chief said the biggest change people will see is response time. Right now it takes the department about five minutes to respond to a call but starting August 1 it could be as long as eight minutes.
Whisenant said the Rogers Fire Department may also have to step in when needed. Which fire Chief Tom Jenkins said he's prepared for.
"There is an approval that the person has to issue. We always make sure there is an adequate level of resources inside the city if we chose to render aid outside of our boundary,” said Jenkins.
The Beaver Lake Fire Department also has 18 volunteer firefighters. The board of directors will meet in August to discuss further cuts to the fire department budget and to discuss the possibility of holding another special election.