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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCDA FD (3)Coeur D'Alene Fire Department Bond Survey Coeur d'Alene Fire Department Bond Survey Coeur d'Alene Fire Department Bond Survey The City of Coeur d’Alene is planning for our city’s future emergency response needs. As our beautiful city grows, we must ensure our fire response and emergency medical services meet the highest standards of safety and effectiveness. We are evaluating equipment, facilities and response capabilities to address community growth. Your input is essential as we consider a potential bond measure later this year to fund improvements. Please take a moment to share your thoughts in this survey. Your feedback will help shape how we protect and serve our community in the years ahead. Thank you for helping us serve our thriving Coeur d'Alene community. Chief Tom Greif Section 1: Awareness and Perception The Coeur d’Alene Fire Department provides fire, emergency medical first response and transport, and technical rescue services for nearly 60,000 residents and tens of thousands of visitors. In 2023, we responded to over 10,000 calls, making us one of the busiest fire departments in Idaho. Since 2015, we have seen a 35% increase in call volume, straining our existing facilities and equipment beyond their limits. How would you rate the Coeur d’Alene Fire Department’s performance in providing fire protection and emergency medical services? 1 Very Negative 2 Negative 3 Neutral 4 Positive 5 Very Positive Are you aware of the current condition and needs of our local fire department? Yes No How would you rate the importance of maintaining and improving fire department services in our community? 1 Not At All Important 2 Not Important 3 Neutral 4 Important 5 Very Important What do you perceive as the biggest challenge facing our fire department? Outdated equipment Insufficient staffing Aging or inadequate facilities Other (Please specify) Section 2: Support for Fire Department Services The Coeur d’Alene Fire Department is a fire-based EMS department, which means we are the primary provider of emergency medical services in our community. In fact, nearly 75% of our calls are emergency medical incidents, and all our fire fighters are EMTs or paramedics. Station No. 2 is central to our department operations due to its location. It was built in 1992 and approximately 35% of our calls are serviced from this station. Originally built to house 2 staff, the station is now home to 5 firefighters on any given day. Station No. 2’s location allows the department to respond more quickly to calls than other stations. It also houses Engine 2 and Medic 32, two of our busiest Fire Companies. Upgrading and modernizing this facility, and making improvements at other stations, will help support current and future service delivery, allowing us to better serve our residents and visitors. The projected cost to rebuild this facility and support the department during that process is $6 million. Would you support a bond measure to fund a remodel of Station No. 2 and make other improvements in our station facilities? 1 Strongly Oppose 2 Somewhat Oppose 3 Neutral 4 Somewhat Support 5 Strongly Support The Coeur d’Alene fire department needs to retire and replace 8 fire trucks and other fleet vehicles to help us continue to meet our service response timelines and respond to complex EMS and fire calls. We estimate that it will cost approximately $10 million to make this investment in our fleet. Would you support a bond measure to fund replacing aging fire trucks? 1 Strongly Oppose 2 Somewhat Oppose 3 Neutral 4 Somewhat Support 5 Strongly Support What specific improvements to the fire department would increase your support for a bond measure? Building new fire stations Modernizing current facilities Hiring additional firefighters Acquiring advanced equipment Other (Please specify) Section 3: Financial Considerations Are you willing to support these improvements through an increase in your property taxes? Yes No Not Applicable Not Sure The anticipated annual tax impact to fund the department’s needs is approximately $17 per $100,000 in property value. Would you find that an acceptable tax impact for investment in our EMS and fire services? Yes No Not Sure What additional information would you need to decide whether to support a bond measure? Section 4: Communication and Engagement How would you prefer to receive information about the proposed bond measure? Email (please include email below) Social Media Mail Community Meetings Other (Please specify) Please share any other comments here. Section 5: Demographics (Optional and Anonymous) What is your age group? Under 18 18–34 35–54 55–64 65+Prefer not to answer How long have you lived in the community? Less than 5 years 5–10 years Over 10 years What is your gender? Male Female Prefer not to answer Are you a registered voter or will you be a registered voter in 2025? Yes No Political affiliation (regardless of voter registration status) Republican Independent Libertarian Democratic Unaffiliated Other or prefer not to answer Thank You Thank you for completing this survey. Your insights and feedback will be used to inform city officials and fire department leaders as they work to improve fire department services. We look forward to sharing the results with you!