STEVENSVILLE — Stevensville's Three Mile Fire Department has seen an 88% increase in call volume over the last 10 years.
This November, the volunteer-based agency is putting a levy on the ballot to fund six new full-time positions.
"We're trying to aim at faster, more reliable professional service," Three Mile EMS officer Kristian Parsons said.
The Three Mile Fire Department covers 52 square miles and the area is home to around 4,500 residents.
"Last year we responded to 425 calls of service for both fire and medical," Parsons told MTN.
Currently, volunteers respond to every call. In total, there are 15 volunteers and three more working through a probationary period.
"With the volunteer model we're at about 14 to you know 16 minutes for an average response time from the time you know you call 911 till the time a provider arrives on scene," Parsons explained.
If passed, the mill levy would generate $710,052 annually to support six full-time firefighter/EMTs.
The department says this staffing model would make them more efficient in situations when seconds matter.
"If it takes us 20 minutes to get to your house and you're having a cardiac arrest, you know that's valuable time that we could be saving your life. If it's 20 minutes, your kitchen's on fire, your house may be on fire by the time we get there, so what we're trying to do is mitigate any disaster," Parsons said.
"With our paid career guys, what we're hoping to achieve is about a 90-second response out the door for a fire call and about a 60-second response out the door for an EMS call," he continued.
For a $300,000 home, the estimated annual cost is about $138 dollars. The agency says they would be saving homeowners money, however, by lowering their ISO rating and, in turn, lowering fire insurance costs.
For a full cost breakdown and more information, click here.
