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Director Victor Browne and senior Fire Services officials will appear before the Virgin Islands Legislature today to propose a fiscal year 2011 budget that will ensure the territory’s first responders can tackle emergencies no matter where they occur.
The men and women of the Virgin Islands Fire Service are dedicated to their mission to provide the highest level of service and protection to the people of the Virgin Islands, through public education, rapid response, inspection and the elimination of fire hazards. The strategic goal of the agency is to protect life and property.
The Fire Service is divided into a St. Thomas/St. John district and a St. Croix district and organized into three main operational areas: Emergency Operations (Suppression), Arson Investigation and Prevention (Prevention), and Administration. The Fire Service operates ten fire stations and two administrative offices across the territory.
Firefighters in the Suppression unit respond to fires or other hazardous incidents that break out on public or private property. Through recruitment, training, and the acquisition of more modern equipment, the unit is working to meet a goal of reducing its response times.
Since 2006, the Suppression Unit also has been the primary responder to hazardous material (Hazmat) situations, although budget constraints have prevented dedicated HazMat funding.
The Prevention unit investigates fires, conducts safety inspections of existing structures and analyzes construction documents to ensure compliance with relevant fire codes. The unit also provides public education and training in fire safety, fire prevention methods and hazard mitigation. The goal of the Prevention unit is to safeguard the community from fire and other related hazards through education and enhanced adherence to fire regulations.
The Administration unit manages the Fire Service’s finances, providing support for the efficient operations of all units. Administrators are continuing to work to rebuild relationships with local vendors by paying them on time so that the other units can get supplies when needed.
Browne will propose 2011 funding of $19,503,041, a reduction of $2.2 million from the current fiscal year’s budget. Like most other government agencies, the Fire Service is tightening its belt, and implementing plans to meet its mandate on a reduced budget.
Almost the entire appropriation is requested from the General Fund. Another $445,120 will come from local collections – The Fire Service Emergency Fund and the Special Emergency Fund.
Revenue from the Special Emergency Fund has been dwindling and another method of revenue production may soon prove necessary. The Fire Service Emergency Fund collects fees charged for services rendered by the Prevention Unit such as inspections for license renewals.
More than 95 percent of the proposed budget will fund personnel costs. Overtime is always a great concern, according to Browne, and has been exacerbated by the number of people, mostly ranking officers, who have recently retired in both districts.
The Fire Service is moving toward becoming self sufficient in supplementing its training for firefighters and training its medical personnel. Soon a property at Upper Bethlehem will be put to use for training purposes, with the end goal of operating a regional training center there.
The Fire Service has been operating in buildings which do not meet prevailing standards. Efforts are under way to upgrade the facilities. The service is moving forward with a plan to relocate Hotel Company from Fort Christian. Work to construct a fire station in the Dorothea area is progressing. There are also concerns with the structural soundness and size of facilities on St. John.
Regardless of the economic challenges, the first responders of the Fire Service will continue to work diligently to perform their mission of saving lives and property.
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