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Mounds View City Newsletter Article <br /> <br /> <br />Fire Department Capital Improvement Plan <br /> <br />Background: <br />Over the past several months the Spring Lake Park-Blaine-Mounds View Fire <br />Department (SBM) has been investing considerable time into the development of a <br />short term/long range capital plan. <br /> <br />The need for the plan emerged from several factors; aging of our equipment which is all <br />beyond its half-life, dramatic increases in apparatus repair costs associated with the <br />aging equipment, growth factors primarily in Blaine, increased training needs, <br />specialized training needs, road improvement projects that will impact station access, <br />and staffing requirements. <br /> <br />Support from the community for the fire department was evident when more than 70% <br />of voters approved a $4.4 million bond referendum in 1990 which allowed construction <br />of Stations 1 and 2 and the purchase of four engines, two ladders and several other <br />smaller utility vehicles. <br /> <br />While the process will be slightly different this time, voters will still have a voice in the <br />proposal via their elected officials and a public hearing process that includes a reverse <br />referendum provision. <br /> <br />Fire Department Background: <br />It is important for readers and taxpayers to understand a little bit about the fire <br />department that serves them, as it is somewhat unique in nature. The SBM Fire <br />Department was founded in 1944 as a non-profit fire corporation and remains a non- <br />profit today. One of only 80 in the state, the department is governed by a Board of <br />Directors and managed by a CEO/Fire Chief. <br /> <br />The department operates out of five stations to protect 44 square miles and 70,000 <br />residents. Emergency response is provided via a combination of volunteers, full time <br />fire department administrative staff that also serves as responders. Additionally, a <br />number of city employees who, along with their administrative duties, have the primary <br />responsibility of responding when an emergency call is received. <br /> <br />Taxpayers of the cities enjoy the lowest per capita fire protection cost of any in the state <br />for similar sized cities. The 2004 cost of just under $15 per capita compares to $49 per <br />capita on a national level and $20 to $40 per capita for neighboring and adjoining <br />communities. <br /> <br />Sixty-three men and women comprise the “response corps” which services over 1,100 <br />calls a year. Of these, 30% are crash-rescue personnel injury, 40% are non-emergency