County commissioners approve dramatic fire district reorganization

UPDATED STORY:Doña Ana County Commission approves fire plan amid rancor

LAS CRUCES – Doña Ana County commissioners on Tuesday approved a plan to dramatically reorganize the county fire department amid many questions and concerns.

The Board of County Commissioners approved the plan 4-1. Only Chair Benjamin Rawson voted against it.

“I think this is a really good start,” said District 4 Commissioner Isabella Solis, who voted in favor of the plan. “I do feel like there are other issues that still need to be addressed.”

The two resolutions approved on Tuesday will consolidate 14 of 16 county fire districts into two large districts — one in the north and one in the south of the county — and will hire eight additional paid firefighters so that one station in each of those districts can be operated 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

The reorganization is intended to correct problems that caused fire districts in Anthony, La Mesa, La Union, Las Alturas, Mesquite, and Radium Springs to be given failing grades by Insurance Services Office (ISO), which grades fire agencies for the insurance industry.

The failing grades have caused property insurance rates in the six districts to skyrocket and have prompted some insurance companies to refuse to write new policies in those areas, which has led to the cancellation of deals for the sale of homes.

“We believe this is a solid first step in rebuilding the county fire service,” said county Fire Chief Nicholas Hempel.

The Doña Ana County Fire and Emergency Services Department serves unincorporated areas of the county, as well as the city of Anthony. It is staffed largely by volunteers and is presently divided into 16 districts. Volunteers are augmented by 16 paid firefighters at three stations.

The six districts received failing grades because they did not meet minimum ISO standards on the number of firefighters who must respond to structure fires. At least four firefighters in a district, on average, must respond to fires in that district, though the way those numbers are calculated is complex.

Combining districts would mean each district would have a greater pool of volunteers to draw on, which officials hope will improve response rates. Staffing one station in each district around the clock, they say, will mean that the ISO requirement that four firefighters respond to every structure fire should always be met.

The plan stimulated concern because some believe it only addresses the way ISO counts firefighters, and will not necessarily improve emergency services, and because the two new districts will be very large and will be anchored by round-the-clock stations that are far from some parts of their districts.

Blake Gumprecht may be reached at 575-541-5453, bgumprecht@lcsun-news.com or @blakegumprecht on Twitter.