Phone: (205) 467-3533

Email: fd_admin@DavisLakeFireDistrict.com

NBC News 13 Video

From NBC Channel 13

Davis Lake FD in St. Clair County concerned over Alabama bill that would cut fire dues

Watch the video here
https://www.wvtm13.com/article/st-clair-county-fire-department-concerned-with-proposal-to-cut-fire-dues/31050661

The Davis Lake Fire District operated as a volunteer fire department until 2018, when the district formed after a vote by the people. The district starting collecting $150 in fire dues with that change. A bill filed in the Alabama Legislature would cut dues down to $75. 

 

 

Letter from Chairman Gilmore

Davis Lake Fire District, Inc.
Providing the District with quality Fire and Rescue Services!

                                                                                               17 February 2020

To Whom It May Concern                                                          

Led by our new Chief Jimmy Briggs (our firefighters and the Board of Directors) “we,” improved the ISO rating from a five (5/5x) to a three (3/3x) in 2018. With this rating, you should have seen a reduction in your home insurance premium.

This is an excellent rating for ourfire “District.”Collecting Fire Dues at $150 per residence/business, enabled us to start hiring Alabama Fire CollegeFirefighters,” as well  as trained Paramedicsand Emergency Medical Technicians to provide immediate 911 responseon a 24/7 basis.

This up-grade in services, with immediate medical capabilities and integration into the health-care system, was effected February 26, 2019. 

This was possible because we had started receiving Davis Lake Fire District dues for Fiscal Year 2018 (FY’18). [FY’18 ran from Oct. 01, 2017 to Sept. 30, 2018]

Most of us live in the county because we want to be out of any city and their added regulations. This, for many of us, is the way of life we prefer. We enjoy: improving and adding amenities to our residences, or even burning trash without paying for a permit to secure the “permission/right”to do these things.

As a District, we are now under political legislation action pending. As you may have noted in our recent newsletter; there are two pending actions: 1] repeal (nullify) the voter’s choice of the 5 June 2018 Election that establishing DLFD 2017-256, or, 2] modify an extremely limit DLFD in Collecting Fire Dues to $75/yr.

Fire Dues Fee of $150 enabled DLVF District establish a 24/7 hired professional staff that is qualified to provide immediate Advanced Life Support (level 2) referred to as an ALS-II. This action of staffing 24/7 is only possible because EMTs and Para-Medics; with a need to pay their living expenses, need to have payroll monies in place to pay them for their work. Currently, we are paying only $8.33 per hour; minimal pay to risk life and limb to be a Firefighter as well as a trained EMT or Para-Medic.

As you may well understand, this progression of improving services has been and continues to be; our focus to serve you; our clients, our customers. Providing you quality fire and rescue services here in St Clair County.

Our records can be found @ www.DavisLakeFireDistrict.com

We need your help to save DLF District! Please come by the Station on Marietta [across from the Armory] and sign a petition for the Governor.

Thank you.

 

Donald W. Gilmore, MAJ USA (Ret.)
New Chairman, DLVF District, Inc.
MS Nur. Adm., UAB

 

Legislative Letter - Requesting to stop the repeal of ACT 2017-265

January 14, 2020

Dear Senator McClendon, Senator Shelnutt, Representative Wood, Representative Llipscomb, and Representative Hill:

I am appealing to you to stop the repeal of ACT 2017-265 providing for the establishment of the Davis Lake Volunteer Fire Department as a fire district authorizing the levy of a fire protection service fee of $150 per year. Two bills have been published in the St. Clair News-Aegis by an unknown source, one on December 19, 2019, and the other on December 26, 2019.

In 2016, the Davis Lake Volunteer Fire Department (DLVFD) began working hard to inform its fire coverage area that they wanted to become a fire district by door-to-door membership drives, newsletters, two open houses and articles published in the St. Clair Times. They were even interviewed by several local news stations encouraging the people to vote Yes in an election to pass a bill proposed by Senator Jim McClendon and Representative Jim Hill. Senator McClendon was featured in one of these interviews promoting his bill to make them a fire district.

In 2017, Senator McClendon and Representative Hill wrote and presented a bill before the legislature to allow the people to vote to make the DLVFD a fire district enabling them to levy a mandatory fire fee of $150. Until the passage of this bill, we asked for donations of $150 per year to help run the fire department.  Only about 30% paid the donations. They were only able to pay the chief about $1,000 a month. The firefighters were all volunteers, brave men and women who put their lives on the line for free!

On June 5, 2018, 72% of the people voted YES to allow them to become a fire district and to collect a mandatory fire fee of $150 per year through the St. Clair County Revenue Commissioner’s Office.

Since the bill’s passage, they can pay firefighters certified by the Alabama Fire College, EMTs, and Paramedics to man the fire station 24/7 to provide service to its area. Response time to calls has been drastically reduced.

Now someone, for some unknown reason, wants to undo all this progress! It will not even be presented back to the people for a vote to see if they want to do this! This will nullify the previous vote of the people! All this progress will be wiped out by the stroke of a pen! I am appealing to you to stop the repeal of the bill voted on overwhelmingly by the people! We elect senators and representatives to listen to the voice of the people who elected them, not to override their wishes and think that they can make better decisions for them! Please listen to us and do not repeal this bill voted on by the people! 

A list of AL Senators can be found here
http://www.davislakefiredistrict.com/index.php/home/al-senator-list

 

 

Repeal Newspaper Articles

We are appealing to you to stop the repeal of ACT 2017-265 providing for the establishment of the Davis Lake Volunteer Fire Department as a fire district authorizing the levy of a fire protection service fee of $150 per year. Two bills have been published in the St. Clair News-Aegis by an unnamed source, one on December 19, 2019, and the other on December 26, 2019.