A July 10 public hearing will take input on a proposal by thy Rural Fire Protection Association to expand a taxing district to provide fire protection to cabins on islands on Rainy Lake.
The 2:30 p.m. hearing at the Koochiching County Courthouse was set Tuesday by the county board after representatives of the RFPA discussed the proposal.
Expansion of the district would call for the 200 cabin owners within the proposed expansion to pay $85 annually for seasonal fire protection, according to Randy Pozniak, billing agent and financial consultant for RFPA. Lad Kocinski, RFPA vice president, also met with the board Tuesday.
The RFPA began to consider expansion of the district in February 2010 when several Rainy Lake island cabin owners asked the RFPA Board whether it could provide fire protection to their properties, said Pozniak.
In August, the RFPA surveyed the known 200 cabin owners. It received 129 responses, with 91 favoring exploration of rural fire protection; 33 opposing the idea; and five indicating they wanted more information.
Pozniak said the board considered the responses a 3-1 support for further exploration and began to research fire boats.
A nearly 20-foot long Lake Assault boat, manufactured in Superior, Wis., was demonstrated on Rainy River in April. The boat, at a cost of $85,000, has a water cannon and capabilities to hook up fire hoses.
In addition, the boat features a 54-inch wide drop-down ramp on the bow, which Pozniak said would provide easy access on and off for equipment and firefighters. The ramp could also be used to scoop injured people out of the water for transportation to a mainland ambulance. Electronics on the boat are “amazing,” described Pozniak, adding that it could provide detail of logs on the bottom of the river, and could assist the Koochiching County Sheriff’s Office in locating drowning victims, if ever needed.
“The board determined the boat was suitable for this lake,” said Pozniak.
Favorable terms provided by a local bank helped the RFPA Board move forward with the proposal, he said.
An $85 annual fee, the same amount paid by mainland customers of RFPA, would be charged to each non-commerical cabin owner, should the district be expanded. Fire protection would be provided to the cabins from ice out until freeze over, said Pozniak, noting that weather conditions could hamper responses in some situations.
A letter is to be sent by RFPA to the 200 cabin owners on record at the county Auditor’s Office providing details of the coverage and cost. Pozniak said the RFPA Board hopes the cabin owners will indicate whether they support expansion of the district.
The results of those responses will be provided to the county board at the July 10 public hearing.
“If no one is able to come to respond, they can do that through this survey,” said Pozniak.
Added features of the proposed fire boat is that it could assist the International Falls Fire Department with fires on waterfront property on the mainland, allowing the two crews to work together to fight fires. That same approach could be used through a joint powers agreement with Voyageurs National Park, which Pozniak said currently does not have a fire boat.
And, he said, with proper agreements in place, the RFPA’s boat could assist with fires on the Ontario side of Rainy Lake.
“There are lots of possibilities down the road that could benefit a lot of other activities, along with working with the ambulance service to get accident victims on islands or in the water to assistance,” said Pozniak.
Teresa Jaksa, county administrative director, told The Journal that following the July 10 public hearing, the county board is expected to consider written and oral comments on the proposed expansion of the district and would consider a resolution for expansion at its July 24 meeting.
Following adoption of a resolution, the proposal would be published and a waiting period of 30 days would be initiated. During that time, a petition of opposition could force the issue to a referendum.
“It would be the end of August by the time we know if it would be established,” said Jaksa.
