Last week’s election results disappointed leaders of Wright City Fire Protection District and left them wondering what to do next.Voters on April 2 rejected a 17-cent tax levy increase meant to preserve the jobs of six firefighters. Without the funding increase, district leaders aren’t sure how to sustain that staff past the end of 2019.Wright City Fire hired six firefighters in 2016 using a federal grant, which doubled the number of professional staff per shift from two to four. That grant expired early this year, leaving the fire district to use reserve funding to keep those jobs through the end of the year.“The bottom line is if we can’t find funding above and beyond the current budget, we’re going to have to let some of these firefighters go,” said fire board President Rudy Jovanovic.Jovanovic said the board would meet April 11 and discuss how to proceed following the election results. He said the district will make every effort to keep its staff, leaving open the possibility of another attempt to sell voters on a tax increase.Dropping back to two firefighters per shift “becomes a safety issue for the public and for our firefighters,” Jovanovic said. If two firefighters arrive alone at a house fire, they would be limited to fighting it from outside.“The firefighter holding the hose cannot go in safely if he has no backup, (and) one has to be at the truck to operate the water,” Jovanovic explained. “We would strictly have to wait for mutual aid” from a neighboring fire district.With modern construction materials prone to quick burning, he said that time delay could make the difference in whether a home gets saved. Firefighters also respond to vehicle crashes, where Jovanovic said having more hands makes it easier to rescue people from the wrecks.Despite frequent criticism that the fire district should abandon its tax request and return to a reliance on volunteers to fill its staff, Jovanovic said that simply isn’t an option.“During the day on weekdays, there’s literally no one available. Our volunteers all have jobs and families,” he explained.Any volunteer with a passion for the fire service usually turns their volunteer training into a career with a neighboring fire district, Jovanovic added.The fire director warned that losing staff could also negatively impact residents in the form of increased home insurance premiums, which are calculated to include fire response capabilities.Fellow fire board member Jeanette Woehrle said she isn’t sure what the next move for the district will be.“Unfortunately, we’re in the exact same spot we were before. Our needs have not changed,” she commented.Woehrle said the district has budgeted half of its reserve funds to keep four firefighters on each shift through the beginning of 2020, although the board is trying to stretch that money further.The board now has to brainstorm possibilities and look for more public feedback about how to fund its staffing, Woehrle said. Some residents have floated the idea of fundraising events, but Woehrle said that is unlikely to cover what is needed.“At this point, we’re going to have to start fresh with any kind of ideas. Back to the drawing board.”Kim Purl, a Wright City resident, said she and others she knows were surprised when the tax increase didn’t pass.“I felt disappointed. I tried to think about why it wasn’t passed,” Purl commented. She knows there are people in the community firmly opposed to any tax increase, but also said some newer families in the area might have voted against Prop S because they were unfamiliar with its purpose.Purl herself was the victim of an overnight house fire four years ago, before the staff increase. She said the Wright City crew began getting the fire under control, but also required backup from neighboring districts.Purl said she would rather pay an extra $60 per year than risk a drastic increase in her home insurance premium because of a loss of firefighters. So she donated what would have been her portion of the tax, $60, to the fire district to help get Prop S on another ballot later this year.The donation was meant to raise awareness for the fire district’s need to keep its current staffing, especially in a growing community, Purl explained.“We have a high-quality fire department and we are very blessed with these firefighting leaders, in all that they put into our community. I’m very thankful for them,” Purl said. “I hope we have a chance to see (Prop S) again on the ballot so we have another opportunity to educate people.”

Wright City firefighter Brian Stone draws hose from a firetruck during an April 5 training exercise. Stone is one of six firefighters hired two years ago into jobs created by a federal grant. Those positions are in danger of being cut if the fire district doesn't secure more funding. 

Wright City Fire Protection District photo