Henry Raymond

Fairfax News => Current News & Events => Topic started by: Fireman David on November 02, 2012, 07:44:30 AM

Title: Fairfax Rescue Building
Post by: Fireman David on November 02, 2012, 07:44:30 AM

Site work for the new Rescue building has started.

Title: Re: Fairfax Rescue Building
Post by: Fireman David on November 02, 2012, 08:32:36 AM

More pictures

Title: Re: Fairfax Rescue Building
Post by: logical on November 02, 2012, 08:59:17 AM

Last 2 look like they were taken from ladder truck.  So great to see that work has started on Rescue's building.

Title: Re: Fairfax Rescue Building
Post by: Tim on November 02, 2012, 06:19:59 PM

It's great to finally see this underway.. 

Title: Re: Fairfax Rescue Building
Post by: Fireman David on November 14, 2012, 11:33:07 AM

Thank you Henry for the help, getting me set up to post pictures for all to see.

These are from November 5th

(http://www.vtgrandpa.com/photos/albums/fairfaxfd/DSC_0693.sized.jpg)

(http://www.vtgrandpa.com/photos/albums/fairfaxfd/DSC_0694.sized.jpg)

(http://www.vtgrandpa.com/photos/albums/fairfaxfd/DSC_0696.sized.jpg)   

(http://www.vtgrandpa.com/photos/albums/fairfaxfd/DSC_0698.sized.jpg)

(http://www.vtgrandpa.com/photos/albums/fairfaxfd/DSC_0704.sized.jpg) 

(http://www.vtgrandpa.com/photos/albums/fairfaxfd/DSC_0705.sized.jpg)

(http://www.vtgrandpa.com/photos/albums/fairfaxfd/DSC_0706.sized.jpg)   

(http://www.vtgrandpa.com/photos/albums/fairfaxfd/DSC_0712.sized.jpg)

Title: Re: Fairfax Rescue Building
Post by: Fireman David on November 14, 2012, 11:54:42 AM

November 6th

(http://www.vtgrandpa.com/photos/albums/fairfaxfd/DSC_0724.sized.jpg)

(http://www.vtgrandpa.com/photos/albums/fairfaxfd/DSC_0725.sized.jpg)

(http://www.vtgrandpa.com/photos/albums/fairfaxfd/DSC_0728.sized.jpg)

(http://www.vtgrandpa.com/photos/albums/fairfaxfd/DSC_0730.sized.jpg)

Title: Re: Fairfax Rescue Building
Post by: logical on November 14, 2012, 12:25:11 PM

Can't wait to see the completed building!

Title: Re: Fairfax Rescue Building
Post by: lena6 on November 14, 2012, 05:20:34 PM

Can you please tell us who is paying for this and how it will work out in the years to come.  Thank you.

Title: Re: Fairfax Rescue Building
Post by: mirjo on November 15, 2012, 03:01:19 AM

It's rescue's building, rescue is paying for it. Nothing to do with the town/taxes.

Title: Re: Fairfax Rescue Building
Post by: tfence on November 15, 2012, 06:18:05 AM

I am just curious.
who's land is it being built on? Is rescue a private business? I understand they bill insurance companies for their services. Does the town contribute to any of their operating costs? Like we do for fire.

Title: Re: Fairfax Rescue Building
Post by: resqmas701 on November 15, 2012, 11:07:44 AM

As a member of rescue I just wanted to chime in on this. First for a little history. The Town and the fire department have kindly housed us since the beginning in 1979. Even then it was a strain on the fire department due to the loss of useable space for them. With the building of the new fire station the space problem was solved temporarily. We are at the point now where space is critical. Both fire and rescue have continued to grow over the years. Due to the growth both fire and rescue are storing emergency vehicle outdoors. For those of us who have lived in Vermont a long time, it is easy to figure out that this is not a good situation. If there were an emergency call during the winter it would be at least 15 minutes before these trucks were warmed up enough to get under way. Not a good deal if you are the one waiting for emergency services to arrive at your location. Last year we were able to rent garage space for the second ambulance. It was not an ideal situation. The garage was small and at a remote location, but it was heated and we made due.

This year we were given a rare opportunity. Gabe Handy who has done much development in Fairfax decided that he would like to do something for the Town of Fairfax. He approached the rescue squad with the proposition of a building of their own. The building which has been appraised by the bank at $475,000.00 will be built at a guaranteed price not to exceed $288,000.00. How is this possible you ask? To start with much of the building costs are being donated. Michelle Dufresne a resident of Fairfax and an architect, donated all of the architectural services to the rescue squad. The person we purchased the land from reduced the cost by $20,000.00. A portion of the excavating work being done was donated. A portion of the site engineering work was donated. A portion of the concrete work is being donated. A portion of the materials and carpentry costs are being donated. We hope to continue gathering donations as the project proceeds. To sweeten the deal Gabe Handy has guaranteed that the cost to rescue will not exceed $288,000.00 or he will cover those costs out of pocket. Once the building is completed we will individually recognize all those who donated.

To answer some of the questions posted. The land was purchased by Fairfax Rescue as part of the build loan secured by rescue. The building will belong to and be maintained by Fairfax Rescue which is a private non profit corporation. We have secured a 20 year mortagage to pay for the building. The town of Fairfax will bear no financial responsibility for the building. The building was designed to meet our needs for the next 30 plus years. It was designed with 3 ambulance bays even though we have only two ambulances at this time. It is logical to believe that at some point in the future the town could grow to the point that a third truck could be needed, so we are planning ahead.

As to our financial operation, most of our revenue does come from billing insurance companies for ambulance services, probably as much as 65 to 70%. Most of our costs are fixed and we are not able to reduce them. Payment from the insurance companies has been dwindling over the years so that revenue source is dropping. For a person on Medicaid it actually costs us more money to take the call than what we are reimbursed, as an example. About 15% of our revenue comes from donations and memorial contributions. About 5% comes from our subscription plan. And finally about 10% of our revenue comes from the combined towns of Fairfax, Fletcher and Westford which are our primary coverage towns.

This year our request from our towns will increase. This is in part due to the new building but in larger part due to the fact that we need to purchase some new equipment and upgrade some of our existing equipment. In an effort to keep costs down in the past we have been hesitant to spend this money. We are now in a position where we must spend it in order to maintain a high quality of service.

In the past our requests to the towns has been all over the place ranging from $10,000.00 to $70,000.00 per year. This has been a constant source of complaint for some in the town. This year we are going to move to a per capita system where all of the towns are asked to give a certain number of dollars per resident. We have quite a bit of research on this as it is a very common practice in the area. We have seen per capita rates ranging from $19.00 to $29.00 being paid to ambulance services per person served. We are looking at something on the order of $12.00 per capita which is a good value for the money. Also by using this approach the request to the towns will be pretty stable from year to year without the large fluctuations as in the past.

The greatest thing that could be done to reduce our operating costs is the addition of more volunteer members. Currently our largest expense is paying for per diem staff to cover the holes in our shifts. We currently budget $40,000.00 per year for that expense. We estimate that we could reduce that number by $10,000.00 per year for each 3 new volunteers we add. We are planning a class at the first of the year and would be happy to see you join our ranks.

In closing we can not wait for the new building to be completed. It will give us the space we need to house the ambulances, and allow the fire department to get their trucks back inside. For the rescue volunteers, they will finally have a space where they can sleep in beds when the are on call rather than on couches in an open room. With the more comfortable surroundings we are hoping we can lure more volunteers to join us. As I am not always on the forum, I encourage anyone with any questions about rescue and the new building to contact me at 849-2773. I am here from 8am to 6 pm Monday through Thursday.   Mike Spaulding

Title: Re: Fairfax Rescue Building
Post by: lena6 on November 15, 2012, 12:21:07 PM

Mike, you say it will be no taxpayer money but in the next breath you say your request to the towns will increase due in part to the new building.  Don't get me wrong, I am for the rescue squad a 100 percent but don't try and confuse the taxpayer.  I am glad you are getting a new building, just be careful you don't bite off more than you can chew.  Good luck.

Title: Re: Fairfax Rescue Building
Post by: resqmas701 on November 15, 2012, 12:54:59 PM

To try to make this more clear. I did not say there would be no taxpayer money. I did say that the taxpayers would not be responsible. In other words if we fail the taxpayers are not liable for the debt. We looked this over really closely before we started. The building costs are less than 10% of our overall budget and will likely be paid off way before the 20 year mark. And the bottom line was if we didn't build the building we could have very soon found ourselves out on the street. The timing was right and the price would never have been better.

Title: Re: Fairfax Rescue Building
Post by: tfence on November 15, 2012, 02:56:52 PM

Thank you resqmas701, that was a very good explanation. You are for sure an asset to our community. Like I said I was just curious. Keep up the good work. Thanks again

Title: Re: Fairfax Rescue Building
Post by: lena6 on November 15, 2012, 05:39:23 PM

Thank you very much.

Title: Re: Fairfax Rescue Building
Post by: lena6 on November 15, 2012, 05:40:50 PM

Thank you for the info.  Keep up the good work.

Title: Re: Fairfax Rescue Building
Post by: al brodeur on November 15, 2012, 09:41:11 PM

here where I live the local rescue squads membership fees last year for a wrinkled ranger couple (seniors) $40.00  what the others fees were I do not remember but
they are brokren down to single person, family,  and more that I do not remember because they did not apply to me.
the memberships cover the insurance co-pay

Title: Re: Fairfax Rescue Building
Post by: nhibbard on November 19, 2012, 09:31:17 PM

I didn't see mention of the other contributions from the town that made some of this possible, such as waivers and other items from the Selectboard meetings. I agree with this building being necessary to Rescue and the Town, but I also believe some items should be made more clear.

Title: Re: Fairfax Rescue Building
Post by: ohhman on January 28, 2013, 08:51:10 AM

I just am reading this, not sure why I missed it, but I wanted to clarify something that was written by resqmas:  the 2nd ambulance was stored in rental space in a remote location that was small??  Well at one  time it was in a BIG garage right on Main street with a nice parking area!!  I didn't think that was remote OR small!  Just saying.  I just worry about all these new costs we are adding/"not adding"  to our budget.  I am very thankful for BOTH rescue & fire & all they do for our town, but there has to be a limit on the spending. Not sure about others, but know I have not had a raise in many years that would help support the cost of livivng let alone the costs of all the extras our town is incurring. Yes, I know we have to grow, but, there is a limit.  I remember when the issue of the new ambulance came up, that the 1 we had wasn't worthy & had outlived it's use.   Agreed, BUT why did we then keep it & now we have double to maintain/insure/run/find volunteers for?  As for fire, I heard a "rumor" the other night the ladder truck St. Albans gave to us has been given back after we put $$$$ into it??  And now fire wants to purchase a new ladder truck??   Again, I appreciate all both squads do for our town but many of our townspeople live on very fixed incomes & all these "pennies to the dollar"  really add up.  It just makes no sense to me ~ especially when we also have always had an awesome town road crew that were very clever in fixing,maintaining, rigging up something to work to work to SAVE our town $$$$ yet their budget was scaled back.  Just saying.

Title: Re: Fairfax Rescue Building
Post by: ohhman on January 28, 2013, 10:57:55 AM

I want to say a neighbor/ friend fireman stopped by to explain about the "new" ladder truck & I so appreciate his time!  So, yes they are getting a "new" but "used" truck & for LOTS less $$$$ than I was told the other night.  Also, the new truck has same tires/wheels they purchased from 1 given so these can stay for " new used"  truck; it also has other things the truck given does not.    All was explained very well & so I said it's too bad things like this just can't come out 1st hand so that the "rumors" can be put to end with the truth.  This forum is an excellent way to get the RIGHT news to people, though NOT the ONLY wat as many do not have access, but at least some can look, read & set the record straight! THANKYOU again HENRY!!!

Title: Re: Fairfax Rescue Building
Post by: 7F24 on January 28, 2013, 11:34:54 AM

Historically the fire department has always had to pay sticker price for replacement vehicles because of the process involved through town meeting approval.  When we had to replace our old engine and tanker we brought brand new.  We had to be able to show the voters what we needed and get approval for the purchase.  We could have bought used for much less money, but to buy used you have to have cash on hand. We have been working with the selectboard to fix this. There is now an equipment replacement line in the fire budget that is being saved each year, which allows us to purchase a used vehicle when a good deal shows up.  The fire department will be buying a ladder truck from Essex Junction for about 10% of the cost of a new one.  We hope this vehicle will serve us well for the next 10+ years.  If we waited and tried to replace the existing ladder in the next few years with a new one we would expect to have to pay $800K+.  In my opinion buying used is the way to go for a town like Fairfax.  I thank Dean and Justin for the work they did over the years to get this process in place, and I also thank the selectboard for agreeing and making it work.

Title: Re: Fairfax Rescue Building
Post by: logical on January 28, 2013, 02:36:15 PM

Not sure that when it comes to my loved ones I would want to rely on something that was "rigged up" to transport them to the hospital in time of an emergency.  I also believe that having 2 ambulances allows for our rescue crew to respond to multiple scenes at the same time.  Having a scanner in my home I know that this does happen on occasion.  I also do not believe that if my loved one was the 2nd call and there was no 2nd ambulance in town that I would want to wait for an out of town squad to respond.

Title: Re: Fairfax Rescue Building
Post by: rod anode on January 28, 2013, 03:31:53 PM

i would like to use that ladder truck for 1 deer season for a tree stand ,mobil deer stand

Title: Re: Fairfax Rescue Building
Post by: resqmas701 on January 28, 2013, 05:28:26 PM

I certainly will not reply on behalf of th fire department but will respond on behalf of rescue. Regarding the temporary location we rented, it was remote in that it was a mile from the fire station. Not a huge distance but certainly not right next door. Small is a relative term. We were barely able to get our small ambulance in without taking the mirrors off and the larger ambulance would not fit insode at all. It was a workable situation, but really not ideal.

The fact that the fire department building is too small for current operations can not be disputed. Both the fire department and the rescue squad are storing one vehicle each outside. The fact is that we are growing as a community. I am not sure how we limit growth. If we can not limit growth we still must supply services.

The reason we decided to keep the old ambulance was that the trade in we were offered for it was $4000.00. After some discussion the rescue squad decided tha it as worth more than that to keep it and we did. The first month we had it as a backup unit, we generated more than double that amount in revenue. Since we have had the second truck in operation we have used it to respond to 30+ calls per year on "unit 2 calls" when the primary truck is on another call. This results in a much shorter response time than if a truck was responding from St Albans, Milton or Cambridge. If you are one of those 30 people a year, I sure you would appreciate the time difference.

Insurance did not double but did go up by about 50% because of the multi vehicle discount. Maintenance cost actually went down, not up because we rotate vehicles to save some on the newer vehicle. Also we still have a vehicle in service when one is being worked on which is something that did not happen in the past. When the ambulance used to be worked on we were out of service, sometimes for days at a time.

The building that we are having built is being provided to us at about half its' appraised value. This is not something that we would likely be able to duplicate, nor would we ever find a better deal. Much of the work done and materials used have been donated by the contractors involved and members of then community.

As to the cost for rescue to the community, just as a comparison Fairfax, Fletcher and Westford are paying $12.00 per person fo EMS services. The Town and City of St Albans, the Town of Bakersfield, the Town of Fairfield, and the Town of Georgia are paying about $19.00 per person. The City of Swanton is paying $28.00 per person, and the Town of Swanton and the Town of Enosburg are paying $29.00 per person. The reason for this is that Fairfax Rescue is primarily staffed by volunteers.

The bottom line is that Fairfax Rescue is not asking the town to pay for the building, just support the service as they have in the past. Rescue is totally responsible for the building, mortgage and maintenance. You will not see a new article at town meeting for the building.

There is not enough time or space to adequately discuss all of this here. Anyone with questions is invited to call rescue at 849-2773. We would be more than happy to discuss this in greater detail.

Title: Re: Fairfax Rescue Building
Post by: ohhman on January 29, 2013, 08:32:03 AM

And knowing that we do not "pay for" but we do "support" the rescue, again I am very thankful for all rescue & fire do for our town, but we do need to remember that rescue is NOT a part of our town, something I really do not understand why they aren't,  rescue is a separate entity,BUT  we still do need to let all know there is a limit to what people can afford.  Thanks for info as I feel it's good to keep all as informed as possible.