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Criteria met; Mescal/J-6 Fire District becomes reality Adam Bernal/San Pedro Valley News-Sun
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| New district: Mescal/J-6 Fire Chief Warren Neff, left, Deputy Fire Chief Chris Bernal, Oren Patchell, Levi Garner and Tim Beaudoin. The Mescal Volunteer Fire Department became the Mescal/J-6 Fire District earlier this month. (Adam Bernal/photo.) |
Residents in the J-6 and Mescal areas will be receiving fire protection as part of their property taxes after the official formation of the Mescal/J-6 Fire District.
The Cochise County Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday, Jan. 13, to approve the formation of the Mescal/J-6 Fire District. The new district will officially take over the area that had been covered by the Mescal Volunteer Fire Department since 1981.
The Mescal and J-6 communities run along the Interstate 10, just west of Benson. The entire area is located in both Cochise and Pima counties, with the majority inside Cochise.
The Mescal/J-6 Fire District is responsible for all emergency calls on Interstate 10 between Milepost 295 and Milepost 302.
The Mescal/J-6 Fire District tax rate will be $0.70 per $100 of assessed value. The district's total valuation for the 14-square-mile area is expected to be around $20 million.
The attempt to become an official fire district began in 2006, after two previous bids to get Cochise County to consider them failed due to a lack of signatures.
Deputy Fire Chief Chris Bernal said it was a change in approach and having a better idea of what the department needed that paid off. There were countless people who helped petition the community to get the district established, he said.
"We did this the right way and got all the signatures we needed; that's why this was more successful than the other two," Bernal said. "There was so much work put into it."
As an official taxing district, Mescal/J-6's 2009/2010 budget is projected to be approximately $140,000. Before this time, Mescal Fire Chief Warren Neff said the district received anywhere from $65,000 to $75,000 depending on dues, donations and state land fires.
With many residents opting not to pay the $50 dues each year for fire coverage, Neff said the district had to make do with limited funding and resources. Neff said there was a major need for the district to be established since it would qualify them for grants and allow them to afford some much-needed new equipment.
"Our equipment is getting old," Neff said. "There are things we needed to upgrade."
Bernal said the district's only structured fire truck is over 23 years old, which they paid $40,000 for. A brand new fire engine typically costs around $350,000, he said, which would have been dramatically outside the district's price range if they weren't qualified to receive extra funding.
"As a non-profit organization, we couldn't afford a new engine like that," Bernal said.
Without the luxury if fire hydrants in the area, Neff said one of the district's first priorities is to buy a new water tender, which will allow them to carry more water to emergency sites. The district has to bring around 4,000 gallons of water for emergencies and needs to be prepared as possible for situations that arise, he said.
Bernal said it was important to provide emergency services to residents since they don't have many other options for local service. All emergency situations are primarily the responsibility of the Mescal/J-6 district, though other nearby districts, like the Benson Fire Department and the Rincon Valley Fire Department, can provide assistance if needed, he said.
The fire district will continue to be staffed by volunteers and provide the same services as before, though improvements to other areas will become more noticeable over time, Neff said.
"There won't be changes in the department itself other than updating the equipment," Neff said.
With the Mescal/J-6 area continuing to grow, Neff believed that becoming a district would greatly benefit the Mescal/J-6 firefighters to be more adequately equipped to do their jobs and help the community.
"It's going to improve the quality of life out here and that's our goal," Neff said.
The Cochise County Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday, Jan. 13, to approve the formation of the Mescal/J-6 Fire District. The new district will officially take over the area that had been covered by the Mescal Volunteer Fire Department since 1981.
The Mescal and J-6 communities run along the Interstate 10, just west of Benson. The entire area is located in both Cochise and Pima counties, with the majority inside Cochise.
The Mescal/J-6 Fire District is responsible for all emergency calls on Interstate 10 between Milepost 295 and Milepost 302.
The Mescal/J-6 Fire District tax rate will be $0.70 per $100 of assessed value. The district's total valuation for the 14-square-mile area is expected to be around $20 million.
The attempt to become an official fire district began in 2006, after two previous bids to get Cochise County to consider them failed due to a lack of signatures.
Deputy Fire Chief Chris Bernal said it was a change in approach and having a better idea of what the department needed that paid off. There were countless people who helped petition the community to get the district established, he said.
"We did this the right way and got all the signatures we needed; that's why this was more successful than the other two," Bernal said. "There was so much work put into it."
As an official taxing district, Mescal/J-6's 2009/2010 budget is projected to be approximately $140,000. Before this time, Mescal Fire Chief Warren Neff said the district received anywhere from $65,000 to $75,000 depending on dues, donations and state land fires.
With many residents opting not to pay the $50 dues each year for fire coverage, Neff said the district had to make do with limited funding and resources. Neff said there was a major need for the district to be established since it would qualify them for grants and allow them to afford some much-needed new equipment.
"Our equipment is getting old," Neff said. "There are things we needed to upgrade."
Bernal said the district's only structured fire truck is over 23 years old, which they paid $40,000 for. A brand new fire engine typically costs around $350,000, he said, which would have been dramatically outside the district's price range if they weren't qualified to receive extra funding.
"As a non-profit organization, we couldn't afford a new engine like that," Bernal said.
Without the luxury if fire hydrants in the area, Neff said one of the district's first priorities is to buy a new water tender, which will allow them to carry more water to emergency sites. The district has to bring around 4,000 gallons of water for emergencies and needs to be prepared as possible for situations that arise, he said.
Bernal said it was important to provide emergency services to residents since they don't have many other options for local service. All emergency situations are primarily the responsibility of the Mescal/J-6 district, though other nearby districts, like the Benson Fire Department and the Rincon Valley Fire Department, can provide assistance if needed, he said.
The fire district will continue to be staffed by volunteers and provide the same services as before, though improvements to other areas will become more noticeable over time, Neff said.
"There won't be changes in the department itself other than updating the equipment," Neff said.
With the Mescal/J-6 area continuing to grow, Neff believed that becoming a district would greatly benefit the Mescal/J-6 firefighters to be more adequately equipped to do their jobs and help the community.
"It's going to improve the quality of life out here and that's our goal," Neff said.
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The following are comments from the readers. In no way do they represent the view of bensonnews-sun.com.
County worked for us wrote on Jan 30, 2009 3:03 PM:
" I heard one reason this effort succeeded is how the many agencies at Cochise County came together to help benefit our community. If true its a wonderful change as my years of dealing with Bisbee were mind numbing examples of the community's needs taking a back seat. We sure needed this district so thanks to the County employees who helped our volunteers get this done. "
Bill Witschi wrote on Feb 2, 2009 7:54 PM:
" Tribute should be made to the one who first organized the Mescal Volunteer Fire Department a long time ago - John Cokely. Margaret Cokely and their daughters, Melissa and Colleen dispatched crews from the Pic Quik. The girls then served for years as active participants in the MVFD. Without this family's incredible efforts in the beginning, the Fire District would have never have happened. HOORAY for the Cokely's, the MVFD and the Fire District! "
JAG wrote on Jan 28, 2009 2:38 PM: