Rural Fire Sales Tax Pays Off for Oklahoma Firefighters

Although nobody likes taxes, one Garfield County sales tax paid off in a single day last August.

When Bryce Gannon and Tyler Zander were caught in the floor auger of the Zaloudek Grain Co. elevator, 20 firefighters from Kremlin, Hunter, Hillsdale-Carrier, Pond Creek and Breckinridge pain-stakingly freed the teens -- a task that took more than an hour.

Kremlin, Hunter, Hillsdale-Carrier and Breckinridge fire departments are among 12 rural fire departments in Garfield County that get a small monthly slice of a one percent sales tax. This gives the departments a monthly allocation to use for training and equipment so they stay prepared to deal with whatever emergencies arise.

According to Kathy Sebranek, first deputy in bookkeeping for the Garfield County Treasurer's Office, this month's cut of the tax proceeds was $6,282 for each department. Although monthly proceeds fluctuate up and down, the amount typically is around $6,000 per month, Sebranek said.

Out of the one percent tax collected for the county, one-tenth goes to the 12 rural fire departments, Sebranek said.

Sebranek provided data to show that each department collected a total of $63,404 during fiscal year 2011. Proceeds are running slightly ahead of that during the current fiscal year, with each department collecting $61,278 during the first 10 months of fiscal year 2012.

Garfield County Sheriff Bill Winchester was a member of the Waukomis Fire Department for many years and remembers the days before the first sales tax went into effect in 1996. Waukomis had one fire truck that was World War II-era military surplus, that simply was not reliable, Winchester said.

"We wouldn't have had the resources to do what we did without the tax," said Rick Oller, Breckinridge fire chief. "It used to be that when you'd go to the fire station before the tax, you didn't know if the fire truck was going to start or not."

"Safety and response time has improved dramatically," Winchester said.

Rural fire departments had to do all their own fundraising in those days, Winchester said.

"They pushed really hard for that sales tax," Winchester said.

Sebranek said the current sales tax remains in effect until the end of 2014. At that time, if not reinstated by vote of the people, it ends.

When the call went out on Aug. 4 that there were a boy caught in an auger at the elevator, the Kremlin Fire Department initially sent one truck, Kremlin Fire Chief Derrick Harris said. Responders did not know at that time there were two teens in the auger.

"We responded with one of our rescue trucks," Harris said. "As more people got there, we sent a second rescue truck out."

A fire station and all seven of Kremlin's rigs have been bought with sales tax proceeds, Harris said. In addition, most of the other equipment the department owns came about because of the sales tax, Harris added.

"We thank them for supporting us with that tax," Harris said.

Bobby Tennell, Hillsdale fire chief, said the tax has allowed his department to arm itself with eight rigs.

Breckinridge Fire Department has purchased five rigs with tax money, and looks to replace one tanker with a newer model in the foreseeable future, Oller said.

"Our department has gone from all military and forestry-issued vehicles to our oldest model is 1997," said Rusty Carter, Hunter fire chief.

The Hunter Fire Department has purchased six fire rigs since the tax began.

In addition to equipment, the tax has paid for such things as firefighter training, emergency medical training and automobile extrication training.

Copyright 2012 - Enid News & Eagle, Okla.

McClatchy-Tribune News Service