MYTH & FACT COMPARISON

MYTH:          A new fire station will only serve the Eastside.

FACT:           The 3^rd Station will be part of a comprehensive plan to provide emergency services throughout the entire City.

                   The 3^rd station will significantly reduce the average response time to the residents of the eastern plateau.

MYTH:          The City can enter into an agreement with Quaker Springs Volunteer Fire District to cover the eastern plateau or the City could provide staffing for their proposed fire station across the 9P Bridge.

FACT:           The Quaker Springs Fire District Board of Commissioners has rejected ANY such agreement with the City of Saratoga Springs.

MYTH:          There’s got to be a cheaper way.

FACT:           Every possible scenario has been reviewed by the Public Safety Capital Improvement Committee.  There is no cheaper solution that will meet the current and future demands this community faces.

                   The cost of infrastructure improvements will only increase the longer the decision is delayed.  Making future generations pay significantly more for the improvements needed today.

MYTH:          The tax increase associated with a new station would be too much to bear.

FACT:           The average Saratoga County fire protection tax is $1.30 per $1,000.  This is for Fire Protection only and includes all volunteer fire departments.

Saratoga Springs Fire Department is a full time career department which provides, Fire Suppression, Paramedic Pre-Hospital care, and Fire Inspection and whose fire tax is currently $0.60 per $1,000.  If additional personnel are financed solely through property tax, The Saratoga Springs Fire Department’s Fire/EMS protection would be $0.90 per $1,000 or an increase of $60 annually for a 200,000 home.

MYTH:          Saratoga Springs’ fire protection is adequate without expansion

FACT:           Community averages for areas around the Capital District are an average of 1 firefighter per 390 residents and 1 fire station per 2 square miles.

Saratoga Springs Fire Department provides 1 firefighter for every 537 residents (not including seasonal residents), 147 above the average staffing and 1 station for 14.5 square miles, 12.5 square miles above the average.

One hundred percent (100%) of the calls in the Eastern Plateau are above the recommended response times outlined in the American Heart Associations chain of survival for Cardiac Driven Systems.

The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1710 “Standard for Fire Service manning and response time” sets as a minimum four minutes or less for the first arriving engine company at a fire suppression incident and/or eight minutes or less for the deployment of a full first alarm assignment at a fire suppression incident.  The City of Saratoga Springs Fire Department has a response time of 9 minutes over 90% of the time for the Eastern Plateau.  This far exceeds the NFPA minimal recommendation.

Simultaneous calls for service have increased steadily over the last few years.  This number is approaching 500 annually.  Simultaneous calls are when you have 2, 3 or 4 calls going on at the same time. 

MYTH:          Saratoga Springs Fire Department spends too much time outside of the city.

FACT:           From 2001 through 2006, SSFD responded to 41calls outside the City.  7 calls were HAZMAT responses reimbursed by the county, 4 were motor vehicle accidents billed to insurance, and 8 were EMS calls