Residents in Cherry Hill Township will not see a change in their fire district taxes after voters approved the Cherry Hill Fire District No. 13’s budget during the election on Feb. 21.
In the election’s unofficial results, 62.7 percent of voters approved the budget, which includes a flat tax rate for the fourth consecutive year. Residents with an average assessed home of $230,000 will pay $661.37 in taxes to the fire district in 2015.
The Cherry Hill Fire Department has a few projects on tap in this year’s budget. One of the biggest objectives is to complete facility upgrade plans at the department’s training academy and motor maintenance shop. Fire Chief Thomas Kolbe said a few of the buildings located at the Central Command facility on Marlkress Road have outlived their life expectancy.
“We’re looking to replace it with a new, modernized structure to help train the firefighters while they’re on duty,” Kolbe said.
The training academy is crucial to the fire department. Firefighters use the facilities to practice responding to emergencies in a variety of different types of buildings.
This year, the fire department is also starting phase one of an accreditation process, which is based on a model from the Commission on Fire Accreditation International.
“It’s a self-evaluation,” Kolbe said. “Right now, we’re doing a needs assessment. We’re looking at our strengths and weaknesses.”
The accreditation is a multi-year process where the fire department will have to meet a set of standards. The process will eventually transition to community feedback.
“We need to get the community involved and hear what are there ideas are and what they expect from the fire department,” Kolbe said.
The fire department is also looking to expand its ambulance service delivery capability, begin outside EMS training classes as a certified training site and continue readiness preparations for a variety of different types of training.
In the Board of Fire Commissioners election, William P. Kelly was re-elected to a three-year term. Kelly was unopposed for the seat.
A full outline on the fire district’s budget is available at www.cherryhillfire.org.
