City to Offer Rural Fire Contracts
June 30, 2011, CT

Residents living outside the Chillicothe city limits will soon be offered direct contracts for fire protection by the city of Chillicothe. Chillicothe Fire Chief Darrell Wright announced Thursday afternoon that starting after expiration of the current contract for the 2011-2012 fiscal year with Chillicothe Rural Fire Protection, Inc., in March 2012, that the city of Chillicothe, through its fire department, will offer rural fire protection directly to individuals and businesses outside the city. This service will be offered to individuals, businesses and organizations located outside the city limits of Chillicothe, but within 10 miles of the city.

Beginning in February 2012, anyone that wants fire protection may contract with the city fire department. In 2012, the city will no longer provide the service by contract with the current rural fire protection association, but will instead do so by direct contract. The fee for fire protection contracts will be based on the assessed valuation of the property to be protected, with the cost for the first year to be set at 35 cents per $100 of assessed valuation. Wright said that this rate is near the low end of tax rates for other area fire districts providing rural fire protection and may reduce costs of fire protection for the owners of modest homes in the rural areas compared to what such homeowners have paid in the past for dues to Chillicothe Rural Fire Protection, Inc..

To assist the transition to direct contracts with the city, the city has offered to purchase, at fair market value, the fire equipment now owned by Chillicothe Rural Fire Protection, Inc. The city will provide continued service to current rural fire members through March 2012.

Members of Chillicothe Rural Fire Protection will be discussing various options they have when they gather for a meeting on Wednesday, July 27, at Grand River Technical School. The meeting begins at 7 pm. With around 560 members in the group, Steve Whiteside, president of Chillicothe Rural Fire Protection, Inc., said he wants to get as much input as possible, as far as concerning what direction to take.

Options include organizing on a strictly volunteer basis (similar to the fire protection associations in Chula and Wheeling); liquidating and dividing the money with its members; or, giving the trucks and money with the membership list to the city and have the city provide a discount to the members. Whiteside said that the rural fire board welcomes any other suggestions and encourages a large turnout for the meeting. "I want the membership to make the decision," he said.