Fire district seeks more state funding

After discussing its strategies to bring state money into the district, the Cloquet Area Fire District board approved new legislative priorities, which include lobbying for regular funding and bonds.

The strategies discussed at the CAFD board’s Oct. 18 meeting include highlighting the impact of inflation and the effects of climate change on the district. The efforts are aimed at minimizing the burden on taxpayers in the CAFD service area.

“A win for me would be that there’s an impact to the local [property tax] levy in such that we were able to hold or even reduce the amount that is covered by the local taxpayers,” district fire chief Jesse Buhs said to the Pine Knot.

According to Buhs, CAFD’s status as a special taxing district disqualified it from receiving federal aid such as the American Rescue Plan and the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act. With the potential for another surplus in the Minnesota state budget next year, Buhs’ goal is to “impact what revenue sources the district qualifies for.”

The fire chief sees tying the effects of climate change to increased emergency response needs as a way to appeal to the priorities of the state’s Democratic trifecta in the House, Senate and Governor’s office.

“All of that kind of ties together to impact our service demand,” Buhs said. “So, in preparing for that, we have to look at what appropriate staffing is and what our future demand will be.”

Inflation has also had an impact on the fire district’s operations from material needs, such as building upkeep and new ambulances, to personnel needs.

“Inflation has kind of hit us in both those realms,” Buhs said. “The capital equipment, the vehicles, any maintenance and repairs to the buildings have gone up. You know labor costs are extremely high. And then wages and salaries or personnel benefits … as we try to remain competitive, they continue to increase.”

The board also voted to formally accept a $1,000 grant from Kwik Trip during last week’s meeting. The grant is earmarked for the district’s Fire Explorer program, a seven-month program that offers exposure and training for both firefighting and emergency medical service careers for young people aged 14-20. The group meets once or twice a month during the school year.

Buhs sees the Fire Explorer program as a valuable long-term recruitment tool for young people interested in firefighting. The curriculum is similar to firefighter and medic training courses CAFD already offers to its new paid on-call employees.