AVOCA -- Firefighters in Avoca want the public's feedback concerning the department's future.
The Avoca Fire and Rescue Department wants public input to discuss an increase in fire dues in the next election, according to a news release from the department.
The next meeting of the department's board will be 5:30 p.m. Thursday in its community room at 251 Main St., according to the release.
The department was established in 1979 with yearly dues of $25 and the Insurance Services Office rating was a 9, the release states.
A fire department's ISO rating is determined by the Insurance Services Office based on how well a department is able to serve its community, according to the website Firefighter Now. A department is assigned a score between 1 and 10, with lower numbers indicating a better score.
The rating is currently a 4 for any property within 5 miles of an Avoca fire station and a 10 in the area of East High Meadows and any property farther than 5 miles from any Avoca fire station, according to the release.
The department was able to lower its rating in 2009 from 9 to 6 after the dues increased to $50 per year, according to the release.
The department reports seeing a yearly increase in calls. There were 399 calls in 2009 and 655 calls in 2022, according to the release.
Larry Russell, chairman of the fire board, said an increase in the dues is needed to handle the growing population and the increase in calls. He said the department is trying to handle every call without billing anyone.
Russell said the lower ratings are saving residents money with lower insurance costs, adding the increase in dues is needed to prevent the rating from increasing.
Russell said the department needs the dues increase to ensure firefighters can respond to every call and help everybody who needs it.
Avoca Fire Chief Frankie Elliott said the board is considering asking to raise the dues to $100. He said the goal is now to inform the public and get input.
The increase only concerns the area served by Avoca firefighters.
Elliott said the department is all volunteer with 23 firefighters on the roster.
Avoca has been giving the department an allotment for a firefighter to work during the daytime and some firefighters are getting paid from that money, he said.
Elliott said volunteer fire departments across the country struggle to find volunteer firefighters. People are no longer volunteering like they once did, he said.
"Sometimes it's feast or famine," Elliott said. "You either have plenty, or there's slim pickings."
If the board decides to seek a dues increase, then the election cannot be held until next year, Elliott said.
The Beaver Lake Fire Department is seeking an increase in its annual dues from $150 to $200. A special election on the matter will be May 9.
David Cauldwell, a Beaver Lake fire board member, said at the February meeting the board is seeking to hire a part-time chief who may be able to hire more part-time staff. Cauldwell said the staffing will continue to be sparse for the rest of the year. He said coverage will be increased next year if the fee increase proposal passes.
The board withdrew a petition in August to start a process to raise the rates. Under the board's plan at the time, residents would have had to pay based on the appraised value of their homes. There was heavy opposition to the planned rate increases.
Avoca was home to 487 people as of the 2020 census.