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State rules skirted at fires

Records turned over to the county show that High Point's volunteer fire department doesn't comply fully with state regulations. Department officials say that is being rectified.

By ASJYLYN LODER
Published November 6, 2005

HIGH POINT - High Point's troubled volunteer fire department had no certified firefighters on the scene for more than half the fires in the 1,600-home community this year, according to documents the department has turned over to the county.

For six of 11 fires, not a single certified firefighter responded, the records show. State rules require that four certified firefighters be on the scene before anyone enters a burning building.

"Yes, but do you need a piece of paper to fight a fire?" High Point Assistant Chief James Pilipchuk said. "We have guys that have 30-some years in the fire service."

The department turned over its records to the county as part of an ongoing dispute over the ability of the aging force to meet fire safety standards. At stake is whether the volunteer department will continue to operate or be replaced by Hernando County Fire Rescue, and whether High Point's residents will have to pay to come under the county's protection.

High Point fully intends to meet the state rules, and has eight to 10 firefighters enrolled in certification training, Pilipchuk said. Certification aside, his volunteers are close by and easily beat the county's firefighters to any fire, he said, and High Point's response time is under three minutes, compared to nine minutes for Hernando County.

"I'm not pitching rocks at the rescue, because they're coming from somewhere else," Pilipchuk said, adding: "Response time is the name of the game."

Hernando County Fire Lt. Robert Rae disagreed.

"They're calculating their response time from their chief getting in his car and getting there," Rae said. "But what's he going to do when he gets there? What is their response time from the time of alarm to having an engine on scene?"

Rae harshly criticized the volunteers following a Sept. 4 blaze during which his engine, in accordance with their mutual aid agreement, waited at High Point's gate for the volunteers to invite them in. In the meantime, a double-wide mobile home was engulfed in flames.

Pilipchuk disputed Rae's version, and said the chief repeatedly asked Hernando County to assist. It later turned out the dead woman found in the mobile home had lit the fire before shooting herself in the head.

Nonetheless, Pilipchuk said the wait-at-the-gate policy should be done away with.

"I have no problem with them coming in if it's a structure fire. If I don't need them, I would be happy to call them off," Pilipchuk said.

Rae said hammering out a new mutual aid agreement is up to Michael Nickerson, director of the county's fire rescue. In the meantime, his concern is safety, not just for High Point's residents, but for its volunteers and his own firefighters.

"Everyone thinks I hate the volunteers and I want them out, and that's not it. My issue is the safety of the situation. It wasn't safe," Rae said.

Shortly after the September fire, the county took temporary lead at High Point fires, at the request of the High Point Community Property Owners. The County Commission also initiated an inquiry into the High Point Volunteer Fire Department's ability to fight fires, asked for a poll of the community's residents, and said the issue would be brought back before the commission Dec. 6.

Regardless of the survey results, it is ultimately the county's responsibility to ensure the safety of residents living within the county's boundaries, said Dave Casey, bureau chief for fire standards and training for the state fire marshal.

"The county is going to have to make the call on the level of service provided by the volunteers," Casey said.

The state fire marshal can only advise the county concerning the department's compliance with Florida's administrative code and with state statutes, Casey said. The county also could hire an outside consultant to assess the volunteers. The marshal has the authority to fine the department and take other legal action, Casey said, but has never done that anywhere in the nearly two years since that law went into effect.

In short, the County Commission has the final say.

The results of High Point's survey have yet to be tallied, but Pilipchuk said he has heard that his department is doing well so far.

Within the retirement community, which sits on the north side of State Road 50, west of Mariner Boulevard, opinion is divided.

Maryann Stanley said she wants Hernando County Fire Rescue to take over.

"I'd rather have Hernando County doing it. At least I know they are there 24 hours a day. They are not sitting at a grocery store. They're not at the doctor's office. They're there," Stanley said.

To Jim Dixon, whose home caught fire April 20, High Point's volunteers are heroes. An electrical fire started in his home one afternoon while he was out. He came home to find his charred furniture outside and High Point firefighters dousing the last of the blaze.

"I was just flat amazed that these old boys got here and put out the fire as fast as they did," said Dixon, 67, a six-year resident of High Point.

Using $25,000 in insurance money and the help of a few friends, Dixon rebuilt, and invited the volunteers over to thank them. In his estimation, the volunteers saved his house.

"I don't know what all the certifications are and what all the testing is. That matters very little when someone shows up and puts the fire out," Dixon said.

He said he has no problem with Hernando County's firefighters. But he worries that a county takeover of service in High Point could strain his $1,000 monthly income.

High Point residents pay an annual $45 voluntary donation to the volunteer department, whereas county property owners pay $128 for Hernando County Fire Rescue.

Stanley said she withheld her $45 donation to the volunteers this year for the first time in her 20 years living at High Point.

"The difference between $128 for the county and $45 for the volunteers isn't very much if a life is at stake," she said.

Rae, the county firefighter, said the question of whether to make High Point pay is difficult and highly politicized for the county.

"Should people who live around the corner from (county) Station 12 not get coverage because I'm covering a fire at High Point for people who don't pay the tax?" Rae asked.

If High Point residents are forced to pay the county's assessment, the volunteers will go out of business, Pilipchuk said. He pointed out that fewer than one in 20 of the department's calls are for fires. Most of the more than 200 calls this year have been for medical emergencies, where the minutes saved between his first responders' arrival and the arrival of the county ambulance, which High Point residents pay for and which does not have to wait at the gate, may very well make the difference between life and death.

Dixon has resigned himself to paying for the county's fire service, if it comes to that. But he hopes the volunteers are not forced to disband.

"If the county takes the thing over and I have to pay that, well, all right," Dixon said. "But I don't want them to dis my boys."

Asjylyn Loder can be reached at aloder@sptimes.com or 352 754-6127.

Number of department members: 39

Number of firefighters: 19

Number of firefighters with Firefighter 1 certification: 3

Number of certified firefighters living in High Point: 1

Average age of firefighters: 59.7

Average age of department members: 61.9

Number of calls in 2005: 226

Number of fires in 2005: 11

Number of fires to which no certified firefighter responded: 6

Number of certified firefighters required before any firefighter can enter a home: 4

Number of homes in High Point: approximately 1,600

What High Point residents pay for their volunteer service: $45 per year

What Hernando County residents pay for fire-rescue service: $128 per year

Sources: High Point Volunteer Fire Department records and Times interviews

[Last modified November 6, 2005, 01:59:22]