The annual fire district election is to be held on Saturday, Feb. 18.
The following is a message from Evesham Fire-Rescue Chief Bryan Ward about the proposed 2017 operating budget:
Evesham Fire District No. 1 is asking for the public’s support of our proposed 2017 operating budget and bond referendum at the annual Fire District election to be held on Saturday, Feb. 18. The voting date is set by New Jersey State law and the polls will be open from 2 to 9 p.m. at all three of Evesham’s fire stations. If you cast a mail-in ballot, we ask for your support as well.
The Fire District is asking for our residents to approve our proposed 2017 Operating Budget, which provides for a zero tax increase. This is the third consecutive year that Evesham Fire District No. 1 has had a zero tax increase. Our budget plan will allow us to continue to provide superior levels of fire and emergency medical services to the citizens of Evesham Township. Last year our organization answered more than 1,650 calls for fire service and over 4,400 emergency medical incidents. Additionally, more than 4,200 fire inspections were performed resulting in every commercial building in Evesham Township being inspected at least once.
In addition to the budget being voted on, we are also asking for public support of a bond referendum to replace one rescue vehicle and thirty aging Automatic External Defibrillators (AEDs). Our rescue truck is 22 years old and will be almost 24 years old by the time the replacement and delivery process is complete. Our fleet of AEDs is 15 years old and these machines are used in an effort to shock a heart into a normal rhythm during cardiac arrest. Your firefighters and EMTs respond to 75 cardiac arrest calls annually, or more than 1,000 in the last 15 years. Approval of the bond referendum will result in a zero tax increase.
The Evesham Fire District is by far the lowest per capita cost fire department in our area. This is a fact that we are very proud of as these costs not only include fire protection, but ambulance service and commercial business fire inspections. We also use the largest number of volunteers (100) of any fire district in the area to deliver top quality, cost effective fire and ambulance service. Our use of this blend of local resident highly trained volunteers along with a top-notch career staff has served to keep our operating cost low and, more importantly our fire and ambulance services at a high level, which our residents both demand and deserve.
We appreciate your support for our mission of “Providing Quality Fire and EMS Services.”
Sincerely,
Fire Chief Bryan Ward
