For more information on Las Vegas Fire & Rescue ballot question, go to website: http://www.fsi2000.org
When you call for takeout, you expect a half hour to elapse before the delivery car pulls up with your dinner.
But when you dial 911, you want firefighters or paramedics at your door within minutes.
Unprecedented growth in the city of Las Vegas has stretched fire department resources so thin that response times to such calls average 7 minutes and 43 seconds. That means in some parts of the city, residents wait 20 minutes or more for a response.
"We're not talking about ordering a pizza," Fire Chief Mario Trevino said. "This is a critical situation here, and I don't want to see us up against a crisis."
That's why Trevino has suddenly become a politician and why the crews in the department's 10 stations have added, "Tell your parents to vote," to this week's fire prevention message.
On Nov. 7, voters in Las Vegas will decide whether to increase their taxes to fund four new fire stations and the equipment and personnel to man them.
If approved, an additional $0.095 will be added to the city's tax rate. Residents with a $100,000 home would pay $33.25 more a year, or $2.77 more on their monthly mortgage.
To figure out the tax on your home, multiply the appraised market value of your home by 35 percent. Divide that by $100, then multiply the result by $0.095.
Trevino considers the tax a necessity and has spent every free moment speaking to civic groups and making the rounds at "meet the candidates" nights.
If approved, the money will be used to build four new stations, replace all city fire engines and ladder trucks and hire 96 firefighting and rescue personnel. The proposal also calls for expanding three existing fire stations to include rescue bays.
The fire department has already acquired the land for all four fire stations. They will be located at Torrey Pines Drive and Smoke Ranch Road, at Buffalo Drive and Summerlin Parkway, at Alexander and Fort Apache roads and in the Village 26 subdivision in Summerlin.
Although the new stations will all be in the northwest and northern parts of the city, Trevino said all residents will benefit from the initiative because response times citywide will drop.
Trevino said some of the longest response times are actually recorded at Station 5, located near the intersection of Charleston Boulevard and Valley View Boulevard.
"Their units are drawn all over the city, and their vehicles are run into the ground," Trevino said. "This will help every part of the city."
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