The Plainville Fire District is asking its voters to approve a tax levy increase to start a Length of Service Award Program (LOSAP) for the 20 volunteer firefighters of the Plainville Fire Department. The program provides retirement, disability and death benefits for volunteers who qualify. The district held an informational meeting about the introduction of the LOSAP on Nov. 13, which was attended by about 20 community members and fire department personnel.
Kathy Thomas, the Plainville Fire District’s secretary/treasurer, said she worked with Lysander Comptroller David Rahrle to calculate the costs of LOSAP to fire district taxpayers.
The expected maximum cost of the LOSAP is $7,875 per year, plus $42,000 in buyback benefits for current, active Plainville firefighters and a one-time administrative fee of $500. The buyback payments would occur in two installments over the first two years of the program.
If voters approve it, the LOSAP will cost the department $21,500 in 2015, $28,875 in 2016, and $7,875 each year after that. Firefighters must have completed five years of service and participate in 50 points’ worth of activities — fire calls, drills, trainings and meetings, each of which is assigned a point value — in order to qualify for the LOSAP. The length of the program is 20 years and volunteers may cash in their benefits at age 60.
For 2015, the LOSAP would add 8 cents per $1,000 of assessed value to the base tax rate of $1.23 per thousand, totaling $1.31 per thousand. That means a homeowner with a house assessed at $100,000 would pay $131 next year, $8 more than they would without the LOSAP. In 2016, the LOSAP would add in an additional 11 cents per thousand, or $11 on a $100,000 home. In 2017, with the $42,000 in buyback benefits paid off, the tax rate would drop to $1.29 per thousand ($129 for a $100,000 house).
Thomas said other local fire districts, such as the Northwest Fire District (which includes Lysander and Baldwinsville) and the Belgium-Cold Springs Fire District, have implemented LOSAPs. She said representatives from those districts told her about 25 to 40 percent of their firefighters participate in the program, but they budget for 50 percent participation in case more become eligible.
The Plainville district calculates that the maximum annual cost (after the buyback period) is $7,875, but that could increase if more volunteers joined the fire department and became eligible for LOSAP benefits. Taxpayers would have to approve any change in the cost, however.
“That money cannot go up or down without your approval through a referendum,” Thomas said.
Also on hand to explain LOSAP benefits was Jeff Moore, a LOSAP sales specialist for VFIS, which provides insurance for emergency service organizations. Moore explained that volunteer firefighters are declining and many fire departments are moving toward paid staff, which can cost upwards of $50,000 per year per firefighter.
“LOSAP is going to help prolong volunteerism,” Moore said. “Eventually, we see that fire departments are all going to go career. We want to hold that time off as long as possible.”
Plainville Fire District Commissioner Ed Brown said the LOSAP is a tool for recruitment and retention of volunteers. He said although he’s not looking to get paid, a LOSAP is also a way to show thanks to volunteer firefighters.
“Volunteers have lives too, but people still need help,” Brown said. “It’s a thank-you for many nights getting out of bed. I’ve had calls in the middle of a holiday meal.”
Plainsville Fire Chief Mike Stock said he hopes to recruit more volunteers if taxpayers approve the LOSAP.
“The daytime’s especially hard,” Stock said. “I started pushing for LOSAP years ago.”
Stock also said he was “thrilled” that members of the public attended the meeting to share their questions and concerns.
Thomas encouraged anyone with questions about the LOSAP vote to email her at [email protected]. The Plainsville Fire Department can be found on Facebook under “Plainsville (NY) Fire Department.”
The LOSAP referendum will be held from 6 to 9 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 9, at Plainville Fire Station No. 1, 767 W. Genesee Road in Baldwinsville.
The full text of the proposition can be found at townoflysander.org. Click on “Notice of Referendum Plainville Fire Department.”
