ROWAN COUNTY - With a rusting tanker and air tanks that are nearly kaput, Enochville firefighters hope county leaders sign off on a fire tax increase during Monday’s budget meeting.
Crews will have to convince a board of commissioners who could be pinching every penny possible.
But that hasn’t stopped the department from trying.
Enochville Fire Chief Clark Mackey stacked the commissioner’s room with firefighters — several of which who spoke — during a public hearing on the budget last Monday.
Commissioners are holding a budget work session Monday and the issue of fire taxes is expected to come up.
The department has asked for a 1-cent tax increase from 6 cents to 7 cents per $100 valuation.
Mackey said he doesn’t want to raise taxes any more than residents do, but with an average age of nearly 20-years-old for his vehicle fleet, the department needs help.
“You don’t want to go up on taxes but when 911 is called, you want the fire department to be there,” Mackey said.
Mackey said the department’s call volume continues to climb, jumping from 427 calls in 2011 to 524 last year.
The department’s only tanker is a 1995 Mack water truck that holds 2,500 gallons of water.
Mackey said the truck is firefighters’ biggest source of water when fighting fires, but the county’s water supply has taken its toil on the pump, which is covered in rust.
Some other vehicles can hold small amounts, Mackey said, but in a district with no fire hydrants — the tanker is a must.
“This is how we get water to fire scenes,” Mackey said.
Firefighter and EMT Daniel Jenkins called the tanker “our lifeline.”
“We’ve got to put these trucks on the road. We’ve got to be en route to various emergencies,” Jenkins said. “You don’t want to be in the middle of a house fire half way to the house when the pump falls out of the truck and you’re out of water.”
Read the rest of this article at the SalisburyPost.com.