HomeMy WebLinkAboutAgenda - 12-13-2011 - Information Item 2Sr~-Fo ~ ~a.+ - on ~-I-em
MEMORANDUM
To: Frank Clifton, County Manager
From:. Frank Montes de Oca, Emergency Services Director
Michael Talbert, Assistant County Manager
Date: December 7, 2011
Re: Fire Protection Districts/Insurance Districts Update
Orange County Emergency Services and several County Fire Departments continue to
receive inquiries from home owners asking what solutions are available to lower the cost
of their homeowners (fire) insurance. Throughout the County there are approximately
1,172 properties that are located outside of six-road miles of the fire station that provides
coverage to the property. The Board recently approved an insurance district adjustment
to an area within the Caldwell and Eno Fire Districts.
Emergency Services has been working with the Orange Grove fire department (Cane
Creek Fire District) and the Town of Chapel Hill and North Chatham fire departments
(Southern Triangle Fire District) to address specific insurance coverage issues. We plan
to propose solutions for both of these fire districts in January, 2012.
Orange Grove is in the planning stages for a new fire station fo be strategically located in
the southeastern part of the Cane Creek fire district. A new fire station could provide
insurance district coverage for an estimated 400 property owners currently more than b-
road miles from the Orange Grove Station. If approved, it would be a small two bay
unmanned station that would meet the insurance definition for a station and provide an
insurance rating of 9 for that part of the fire district. It would take about 9 to 12 months to
construct the building and pass an inspection from the State Fire Marshal's Office.
We are investigating the possibility of splitting the Southern Triangle Fire District into two
defined geographic fire service contract areas. The Southern Triangle Fire Tax District
could remain as one district with one tax rate for the entire fire district, but the County
could contract with two different fire departments to provide services in defined
geographic regions within the district. There are approximately 100 property owners that
are serviced by OWASA water and have fire hydrants in their development. These
property owners are less than 3 miles from the Chapel Hill Fire Departments Station #5
but more than six-road miles from the closest North Chatham fire station. If the Board
approved, two different fire departments (Town of Chapel Hill and North Chatham) could
provide fire services to the Southern Triangle Fire District and all property owners in the
fire district would be within 6-road miles of afire station. This action could be
accomplished with new fire service contracts effective July 1, 2012.
The Board of County Commissioners is statutorily responsible for determining the
methods of providing fire services in the districts and has entered into contractual
agreements with the volunteer and/or municipal fire departments on behalf of the
districts. The Board also sets the tax rate during the annual budget process and
determines how the service will be provided. The Board of County Commissioners may
change service providers or the nature of the service being provided at any time. A
volunteer or municipal fire department does not have any statutory right to continue to
serve a particular district.
We are continuing to investigate short-term and long-term solutions to offer insurance
relief for as many property owners as possible.