BY KAFIA HOSH
Stafford County's budget woes are taking a toll on most county agencies, including the Fire and Rescue Department, which is struggling with a personnel shortage and response times.
The department asked for $19,896,841 in 2009. However, the county is proposing a budget of $13,999,924.
The county's proposal includes a 2.5 percent salary increase. But crews likely will work harder for their money, covering the many vacancies that may go unfilled next year.
UNDERSTAFFED
Fire and Rescue employs about 40 firefighters, including both paid and volunteer staff. But it needs about 95 to be fully staffed.
In order to fully meet staffing needs, the county would have to hire 15 new positions each year for the next 14 years, according to Fire and Rescue Chief Rob Brown.
"The need for 95 is today, not in 14 years," Brown told supervisors at a recent budget work session.
The department asked for 56 full-time positions next year, but like most agencies, it is not receiving any new positions in the county's proposed budget.
RESPONSE TIMES
The staffing shortage is affecting response times and some of the under-served parts of the county such as the Garrisonville Road and Griffis-Widewater areas.
The department is striving to respond to emergencies within eight minutes at least 90 percent of the time. Right now, it meets the eight-minute goal 55 percent of the time, up from 41 percent last year.
"We figured we had to crawl before we could walk," Brown said. "We were finding in several areas we're taking 15, 20, 25 minutes to get fire and ambulance to the scene."
Fire and Rescue conducted an analysis that found Stafford would save $56,000 next year if it filled vacancies rather than pay overtime to existing personnel.
"Even though we have a vacancy, that firetruck has to have three people in it," Brown said. "When we have no one to put on that firetruck, we call in someone for overtime. There are times that we call around and just can't find people to work the overtime."
CAUSE AND EFFECT
The personnel shortage has left a ladder truck and an engine truck not fully staffed at the Berea fire and rescue station that opened last year.
The department also is behind on its fire code inspections.
"There is a cause and effect by not having the staff to go out there and visit those growing businesses," Brown said.
SOME CUTS MADE ALREADY
To meet the current year's budget shortfall, Fire and Rescue already has cut costs by 7 percent, reducing overtime and not filling vacancies.
The county also cut $350,000 of the department's budget that was to fund the Length of Service Awards Program.
LOSAP is a financial-incentive program that provides small monthly stipends to volunteers with at least five years of active service.
The program would have helped with volunteer retention, which has dwindled over the years, according to Fire and Rescue officials
"Getting in the door is not the hard part, it's keeping them once they find out the training requirements," Brown said.
Supervisors were disappointed that LOSAP was dropped this year and is not included in the proposed 2009 budget.
"Before I would offer raises to anyone in this county, on any level, I would give LOSAP to the firefighters," said Aquia District Supervisor Paul Milde.
AMBULANCE FEES
Fire and Rescue also lost money because ambulance fees came in lower than the $2.4 million projected.
So far, it has received only $1.4 million because of a six-month to one-year lag in payments.
The county is budgeting $1.6 million in ambulance-fee revenue next year.
"I think they've worked out all of the billing problems and the money is coming in," said acting Budget Director Nancy Collins.
"We're not going to overestimate again. We're just gong to be conservative and make an educated projection."
Kafia Hosh: 540/735-1977
Email: khosh@freelancestar.com