County discusses state reductions in fire funds

ALAMOGORDO — County Commissioners were briefed on the latest county fire funds debacle that has been raising eyebrows across the state at their latest county commission meeting Thursday.

In January 2017, House Bill 4 was passed and signed by Gov. Susana Martinez, while Senate Bill 111 is awaiting a vote from the House Appropriations and Finance Committee.

Local fire departments and counties across the state say the bills threaten volunteer fire departments and how they’re managed.

According to a report from the Carlsbad Current-Argus, both bills would hand over county and municipal funding intended for public safety and fire protection to the state to be redistributed into state agencies, then county and city funds.

The Fire Protection Fund would be reallocated into a newly-created fire grant fund within the state’s treasury. Starting in fiscal year 2019 the bill stipulates that “periodic” allotments not to total more than 40.2 percent each year will be taken from the Fire Protection Fund, which pays for county fire services, and deposited in the state’s treasury. The state treasurer would then redistribute the money to counties and cities throughout the state, according to the Current-Argus article.

County Commissioner Lori Bies said she was concerned on how the funds were being redistributed because of the impact it could take on county resident’s safety.

In southern New Mexico, volunteer fire departments are essential for rural residents. The National Fire Protection Association’s most recent report noted that nearly 70 percent of the nation’s firefighters are volunteers, and 95 percent of these volunteers work in districts with a population of fewer than 25,000 people.

County Emergency Services Director Paul Quairoli said there’s still a lot of questions they don’t have answers to but if the bills were to pass it would be devastating to Otero County and other county and municipal fire services across New Mexico.

“If we move forward, it would be physically impossible to purchase a new apparatus on $60,000,” Quairoli said. “Ladder trucks could cost up to $750,000 to $1 million each. Class A pumpers could cost up to $350,000 to $500,000 a piece.”

Bies said without sufficient funding the county would no longer have a safety net, this year especially when there has been little to no snow in the Sacramento Mountains.

“There’s been no precipitation and hardly any snow, it’s going to be a scary situation when it comes to fire season,” Bies said.

Quairoli said the county could face a similar situation that occurred in 2011 where the county cultivated several fires due to no precipitation.

“We can have that again. We received three to four times the amount of calls and we have the potential to have that again if we don’t have moisture somewhere along the line,” he said.

Quairoli said the local fire departments have saved up some funds in case of emergency if state funding is cut.

“Our fire departments for the most part have saved money and put off expenditures to hold money in case of emergency,” said Quairoli. “Several fire departments are close to running in the red.”

Bies said the county needs those funds and will continue to work and contact state legislators to stop budget cuts from happening.

“I love New Mexico but I’m fighting for Otero County. I don’t want to lose our mountain because of bureaucracy. They don’t want to see that in me, I will be their worst nightmare,” Bies said. “I want to send a letter to state legislators and show them everyone that we’ve contacted. I don’t want to see that kind of devastation here.”