By Pat Jenkins The Dispatch Graham Fire and Rescue officials are moving quickly to turn voters' wishes into more firefighters and fully functioning fire stations. The fire district announced in December that service will start improving in January with the addition of 16 new personnel and other changes that were part of the four-year levy that passed in the general election in November. Officials also revealed that the $2.75 million a year in property tax revenue for maintenance and operations will be collected at a lower rate than initially thought. The original rate was proposed at 60 cents per $1,000 of assessed valuation, but for at least the first year (2015), the rate will be 54 cents. The tax proceedds will be used to bolster daily levels of staffing and open closed stations. The levy, which voters rejected in the primary election in August, was approved on the second try with a 60. 4 percent majority of the votes. A minimum of 60 percent was needed to meet the supermajority requirement for bonds. Since then, district officials have rolled out what they term an "aggressive hiring plan" that will take effect Jan. 1 by increasing the minimum amount of emergency personnel on duty. The daily number will become 11, an increase of two. That will allow full operations of two fire stations that were closed on a part-time basis and a third station that was completely closed as a result of cost-cutting. Fire chief Ryan Baskett said six new paramedic/firefighters have accepted job offers and will begin training in January. Four of them have previous experience and will be trained by the district, making them available for shift work in the early part of March, Baskett said. The other two will begin duty after attending a fire service academy. The district is still advertising for four additional firefighters. The application period will end Jan. 15. Tentative dates for hiring the new firefighters and putting them to work are April 1 and June 1, respectively. The latter date corresponds with the planned reopening of the Thrift fire station. The remaining six new firefighters will be added in January 2016, officials said. In addition to more personnel, the district will buy a new medical aid vehicle unit that will replace one of two nine-year-old units, move forward with a plan for replacing other aging equipment, improve training, continue fire-safety education for the public, and begin replenishing the reserve fund. Baskett said the district is "thankful" for voters' support and "committed to increasing services in the most efficient way possible." He also offered good news for taxpayers by noting that "if done appropriately, the needed levy amount should decrease in future years."
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